


Three Months Until Dawn

by wendibros



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Shamanism, Wendigo!Josh, With A Twist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-06
Updated: 2015-12-01
Packaged: 2018-04-25 05:14:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 35,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4948030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wendibros/pseuds/wendibros
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was no way that Chris did what she think he did. It would be suicide, plain and simple. Yet as she stood there she knew that she couldn't be wrong. </p><p>Chris had gone back to the mountain to find Josh.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, welcome to our second story! Hopefully you'll enjoy it~

It had all started with a phone call.

It had been eight days since the events on the mountain. Eight days since the single worst night of her life. Eight days since she had last seen her all eight of her friends together and safe. 

After they had been questioned they had all parted ways with promises to call each other in the morning. A promise that only some of them kept, not that she blamed them. They all had their own things to deal with.

Mike had been the first to call her, telling her that if ever she needed someone to just vent to he would be happy to listen. It had been a touching gesture and one she had appreciated greatly, but in the end she had declined. He had Jess to look after and considering the hell that had been in the other blond woman's eyes she doubted that he would have much time for Sam's nonsense. 

It had been an incredibly touching reunion when Matt and Jessica were reunited with the rest of them after the interviews. Mike had ran over and lifted Jess clean off her feet, tears of relief and joy at the sight of her making marks down his blood and dirt coated cheeks and a burst of laughter and delight bubbled from her lips. Emily had been a bit more reserved and it was harder to make out what the two were saying to each other. Something about a flare gun and how sorry she was. The night had been horrible, but at least the two couples had grown stronger because of it. 

Ashley had ironically been the second to call her, though not for the same reason that Mike had. No, she had called to express a concern about Chris, who had all but dissolved into a mirror image of what Josh had been the night after his sisters had vanished. The budding relationship between the two had fizzled out as soon as it started and frankly Sam couldn't blame either of them. Not when the thought of it brought up memories of being strapped into some horrific Saw style death trap while being forced to choose who lived and who died. Sure, the traps might have been set up so nobody really got hurt, but it had been enough to taint the budding relationship to the point where it was utterly void. It hadn't helped that Chris had chosen Josh over Ashley either.

Not that Ashley seemed to care about that now. Outside of terrifying life or death situations she was a spunky girl who had a good head on her shoulder. She was upset sure, but she could understand that the last thing Chris needed right now was a relationship, and even if he had been looking that the spark had sizzled out the moment they stepped onto that helicopter without Josh there with them.

They had survived the events at the Washington Lodge, but that didn't mean they hadn't come out with a great amount of scars. Emotional, mental and physical wounds ran deep in all of them, some more then others. Yet, they had reached dawn and she supposed that she should have been happy. Happy to have survived the hell that their group had been through. 

But she wasn't. 

How could she be when Josh was still out on the mountain somewhere? Sure, what he had done to her, Chris and Ashley had been messed up, but he hadn't been in the best of places mentally or emotionally. Grief was a powerful force to be reckoned with. Doubly so when a persons ability to feel joy was numbed to the point of non-existence. 

At first the anger of his betrayal had made it hard for her to see that. For all of them to see that. After all, she had thought they had a connection. That maybe there was something forming between them over their shared grief over the loss of Hannah and Beth. Josh had come to her seeking comfort and someone to speak to. In hindsight, maybe that should have been her first clue that something was off and Josh wasn't as alright as he claimed himself to be. Deep down she knew the real reason why Josh had gone to her.

Chris would have seen through his façade.

Yet Josh had needed someone to vouch for his stability. To help him convince the others that going back up the mountain would offer them all the closure that they needed. Would offer Josh the closure he needed. So he had gone to Sam and she had played her part in his little game all too well. 

Flicking open her phone she noted that the time was a little past eight in the morning. If she remembered his schedule correctly Chris didn't have classes until ten. He should still be at home, curled up under his covers and oblivious to the message that had been delivered to their phones sometime around eleven the night before. 

A part of her realized that the young man would have been there regardless of what time she had decided to show up. 

The events on the mountain had hit Chris the hardest. Between the mental torture of what Josh had put him through, the fact that he watched a man get brutally killed before his eyes and worst still the disappearance of Josh, well Sam wouldn't be surprised to see him check himself into a mental institution for a month or two. Hell, after what they had been through she had considered it an option herself for a day or two.

Walking up the steps to the condo owned by Chris' mother, the young woman couldn't help but let out a small shudder as the cold air hit her neck. Pulling up the hood of her jacket, she then reached forward to knock on the door, stepping back and letting out another small shiver as she waited for Chris' mother to get it. Without thinking she checked her phone once more and she was reminded of the reason she had come here in the first place. 

The police had called. Apparently the search team that had gone down into the mines to look for Josh hadn't contacted them back since early yesterday morning. It didn't take a genius to know what that meant. 

Josh was alive. 

The only real questions were whether there was still enough Josh in him for him to be saved, and if there was, whether he could be saved at all.

The sound of the door opening drew her out of her thoughts, and her lips cracked into a small smile at the sight of Chris' mother. She didn't have time to say a greeting before the woman beat her to the punch.

"Samantha! What a pleasant surprise to see you here! And so early! Did Christopher forget something and send you to come get it for him?"

Confusion donned her face at the question and before she could help it she uttered out a questioning, "Huh?"

"Oh, I'm sorry dear. I thought you must have been part of that emergency study group that he ran off to last night."

A surge of dread welled in her chest at the woman's words. There was no way that Chris did what she think he did. It would be suicide, plain and simple. Yet as she stood there she knew that she couldn't be wrong. 

Chris had gone back to the mountain to find Josh.

***

He had heard Josh's voice in his head, and no medication could help with that. His friend's tone was accussing, pleading for an explanation to why he was left alone. Why he was left for death. During the week Chris had not left his room, instead opting to sit on his bed with a haunted look in his eyes, Josh's voice in his ears.

The guilt ate him, left him as an empty shell of the person he used to be. There would be no recovery, there would be no hope.

He did not touch his phone, nor did he contact his friends, and it was his mother who had told him about the rescue mission gone wrong.

The moment he had heard the police officers had stopped contacting the station, he knew what was going on. The wendigos had been killed in the lodge fire, every single one of them. There should be nothing out there that was killing people. Nothing expect Josh. Which meant that his friend was still alive, and needed help.

Chris hadn't even hesitated to pack his bag, making up a lie about an emergency study group to his mother. A tiny part of him felt guilty for lying, but he had no other choice. He was not going to leave Josh behind again. 

During the trip over to the mountain he had gone through several worse scenarios in his head. 

1\. He could find Josh dead  
2\. He could find Josh alive, but he could not save his friend  
3\. Josh had turnd into a wendigo

Honestly he was not sure what he'd prefer to find.

Tightening the strap of his bag, the blond breathed in deeply before following down the path to the mines. He purposelly avoided the path that would lead him to the lodge, not able to handle the sight of the burnt down lodge where he had spent most of his childhood in. Yet as he reached the mouth of the mines, he hesitated. The last time he had ventured through the mines, they had been chased down by the wendigos. He had heard the others speak pure horror about this place, and there he was, willingly going in to that said place.

"Why'd you leave me, Chris? I thought we were friends, man." The voice in his head taunted him again, laughing hollowly and Chris grit his teeth together before walking inside the mines.

No turning back now.

***

Several days passed, and there was still no sign of Josh. He had found claw marks on the walls and the wood, he had found the bodies of the police officers and with a heavy heart had burnt them. IF Josh was alive, the last thing he'd need was to be charged from murder. Of course there was the possibility that Josh was not the only one left in the mines, but so far he had not seen a sign of anyone.

His food supplies were starting to run low, even if Chris did the best to ration them so they would last as long as possible. The lack of food and medicine was playing its trick on him ever so often, and he had been sure that he saw Sam or Ashley walking through the mines with him. Yet when he reached out for them, they'd disappear.

Soon, he lost his track of time.

Had he been there for days? Weeks? No sign of Josh either, and the blond was losing his hope. Josh was most likely dead, and he was lost. He would die down there, just like Josh, just like the police officers.

Maybe he deserved it.


	2. Chapter 2

Something was in the mines. Josh could TASTE it. Meaty and delicious and human. Somehow it had avoided him for this long but not today. It had been five days since he had last tasted human flesh. Five days of living off animals he had to go to the surface to kill. All because whatever had been in the mines had decided it would be a good idea to destroy his last hunt.

He wanted. No, he NEEDED human flesh. Without it he wouldn't be complete. 

Thirteen days ago Joshua Washington had been a human man. A heartbroken, mentally unstable man, but a human man none the less. For six days he had wandered the mine. Six days of cold and loneliness and so much PAIN. Six days of his sisters and something else eating at his mind, telling him to give into his hunger, that if he did it would all be over and he'd never have to feel that numbness again. For six days he had kept himself from succumbing to the mad whispering.

On the seventh day the realization that nobody was coming for him had set in and what little of his fragile mind had shattered. The meat of the body he found had been tender and raw on his tongue. The transformation from man into beast had been ungodly painful but after he had given up his mind to the Wendigo Spirit he hadn't really felt anything. Just numbness and an ungodly desire for raw flesh. 

Humans had come sometime around six in the evening, interrupting him as he consumed the last bit of flesh he could find on what his sister had left for him and Josh had slaughtered them without a second thought. He should have eaten them. Should have dragged them away for later. Hidden them from anyone who might have claimed them. He didn't. His mind was still too disjointed to think in long term. Still changing from human to beast.

When he returned the next morning he had found the bodies had been burnt and he had let out an enraged screech into the air that echoed throughout the mine in a way that would have filled even the bravest man with bone chilling fear. He needed to hunt down this thing that had denied him his meal. Needed to stop it. Needed to eat it.

He found it sometime shortly after his evening meal. Wandering the mines looking lost and alone and vulnerable. Just like the sick elk he had dragged in that morning. For thirty minutes he followed it. Watched it. Observed it. Stalked it. Why he didn't just kill it was a mystery even to him. It was defenseless, save for the fire it had brought with it, stashed away somewhere he could not see. 

It smelled so familiar though. Reminded him of something that he had forgotten. It smelled like home and warmth and comfort. 

Josh's partially blind eyes blinked slowly, head shaking as his claw like nails clung to the ceiling of the underground cavern he had followed the human to. He was hungry. He needed human flesh. This was a human. He needed to eat it. 

The shriek that pierced the air had been more than shocking. It was a sound that followed him to his nightmares, a sound he knew he would never forget. A sound he thought he'd never hear again. 

Not having the time to defend himself with the fire, Chris found himself tackled down against the wall, his body lifted up like he weighted nothing. The sharp claws dug on his neck and shoulder painfully, tearing a gasp of pain from the blond's lips before he froze completely at the sight before him.

The fear of dying left his mind at the sight of the brunette, eyes trying to take every detail as quickly as possible. Josh's eyes were nearly milky white, the left side of his cheek torn open to give space to the sharper, larger teeth. While his skin was still dark, it was definitely paler than usually not to mention the strength Josh had was more than alarming.

"Josh! Come on man, you know me! Don't do this, you're better than this! You're better than those who tried to kill us! Josh, look at me." Chris struggled to lift his hand up, pressing it on the right side of Josh's face, relief, fear and guilt evident in his tone. "Josh, please. Don't."

Josh. 

Something about that word caused the creature to pause. It was so familiar noise. Like it had meant something to him. Had been something important that he shouldn't have forgotten. 

'My name. It's my name. I'm Josh.' Inside his mind something screamed out at him. Telling him that this information was important to him. That this human was important to him. That he had at one point wanted to keep this person alive. To keep him with him.

A frustrated growl like noise slipped from his throat, teeth gnashing as the hand that drew towards his face, nearly taking off a finger before it came to rest on the cheek that had yet to give way for his new, sharper teeth. He was being touched. Touched by a human. By his prey. He should bite off the offending hand.

Yet he didn't. He couldn't. Not this human. 

The grip on the human's neck loosened, dropping the blond man to the floor as he pulled away, shaking his head. In his mind something continued to scream at him that he needed to look after this human. That it would die if he left it. That it dying was not okay even if he could eat it later. Another cry escaped his lips, confused and more than a little concerned over the sharply conflicting voices of what he was now and what he had been then. 

He needed to get away. Needed to... think. Think. When had he last actually thought about something instead of acting on carnal instinct? He couldn't remember. It felt like ages ago. 

Turning towards the human and giving it a warning growl not to follow, he dashed off in a blink of an eye, leaving the human once more to its own devices.

Chris collapsed on the ground gasping, hand pressing against the bleeding wounds on the space between his shoulder and neck. Josh hadn't killed him. Hadn't torn him apart. The noises his friend had made were imprinted on his mind, noises of what appeared to be confusion which only meant one thing.

Josh was still in there. At least a part of him was. How big part, he didn't know, but big enough for the creature side of his friend leave him alone. Would it matter though? Was there a way to make Josh turn back? Logically no, but that would not stop him from trying. The Native Americans knew about the Wendigo and had come up with the Sigil to protect them, surely they knew how to take care of the Wendigo Spirit? Right? Maybe, just maybe, he could find something useful in the mines.

Tearing one of his spare shirts, Chris wrapped the makeshift bandage around the wound and his chest to keep it in place before allowing the shock of the situation leave him shaking, trying to come up with a plan what to do next.

***

The rest of the day and most of the night had Josh avoiding Chris at all costs while at the same time occasionally sneaking over to chance a glance at him. It was strange, but the more he watched the young man the more he felt drawn to him. As if there was something about him that Josh needed to feel complete. In the end he had decided to hold onto that feeling and try keeping the human alive, which would be a much harder task than he would have liked it to be given how completely useless the human seemed to be at everything. 

It was almost as if the human didn't want to hunt for food at all. Like it was distracted with something else that would no doubt come back to bite it in the rump later. It would enter rooms where Josh had stored away elk meat only to completely bypass it entirely in favor of some flat tree smelling object in the corner with scribbles on it. The human would then sit there looking through it before abandoning it, as if it held no importance to him despite the fact he had clearly been so excited over finding it earlier. 

Watching it flounder about was frustrating and confusing and Josh wanted to do nothing more then shove the idiot human's face right up to the meat. Sure, there were some bugs that had buried into it, but it was still relatively fresh. The human couldn't have been that blind and picky. Meat was meat. 

When the human pulled out something from his bag it suddenly became clear to Josh why he hadn't gone for the elk. He had been carrying his food with him all this time. Clever human. The smell of whatever it had been was strangely alluring, but Josh refused to venture any closer for the time being, instead watching him silently from the ceiling. Every so often the human would catch sight of him, but the moment he did he was gone with a small growl.

Sometime around midnight he returned from a meal to find that the human had curled on a tarp in a corner somewhere and fallen asleep. Taking this as a chance to get in closer he snuck up to the sleeping form of the young man. When he wasn't moving it was hard to make him out, but there was just enough sight in Josh's eyes to pick up one some of the more prominent features, such as the large nose and the item that hung off it. Without thinking he plucked them from the human, pulling it before his own eyes and letting out a growl when everything blurred uncomfortably, immediately setting it back down where he had gotten it. 

There was something insanely familiar about the human that he just could not get out of his head. 

Circling the sleeping form he watched it shiver from the cold with an emotionless gaze, sharp teeth clacking in response to each shudder. At this rate the human would freeze. It needed to get somewhere warm. Somewhere where Josh could watch over it. Feed it. Make sure it remained watered.

The act of carrying the human was a lot harder when he didn't actually want to hurt it. He couldn't just grab it and drag it through the mines like he would have any other of its species. In the end he had settled for dragging the tarp it was sleeping on slowly through the hallways, stopping every so often to check if it was slumbering before carrying on in his task. When he finally set it down they were much further into the mines then before, in a room that had one point served as a kitchen for the miners. It was large, but it was noticeably warmer then the other areas, with what appeared to be something built in through the ceiling that carried away the smells. 

Josh had never been to this part of the mine before, so after he was sure that the human was settled in he exited through the only open doorway and began to explore. There weren't a lot of open passages in this area. Most were boarded up or blocked by rubble, but he had found a few spots of interest. Particularly a room that had not only a small underground water source but a hole big enough for Josh to climb through in one of the corners that let him out into the outside world. After the human was handled he would go see what was up there. 

The best find of that night had to be the mostly eaten human carcass he found under the snow that had fallen from the opening. While most of it had been torn apart and consumed, there still was a decently preserved arm that had Josh salivating at the sight of it. Lifting it up to his lips, he was about to take a bite when something in his head nagged at him. The human. It would no doubt be hungry when it woke up and he could tell from the look on its face when it last ate its meal that it did not have much more left. 

The human needed it more than he did. The human can't hunt for itself. 

With a growl he shook his head, setting down the delicious human arm and making his way back to where the human lie sleeping. Hopefully, it would understand the sacrifice that Josh was making for it.

***

When Chris woke up, he was more than confused when he did not recognize the area around him. Instantly jumping in an alerted mode, Chris stood up quickly and scanned the area, fingers clutching the strap of his bag. This definitely was not the place he had fallen asleep in. 

The plus side was that the room he was in was warm.

The negative side was that being there meant Josh had moved him.

Why?

He had seen his friend couple of times yesterday, but Josh had always hissed and disappeared like an angry cat. 

The hunger clawed in his stomach, causing him to wince and double over briefly. He felt nauseated and slightly weakened, resting his hand against the wall. However nothing had prepared him for the arm that was thrust in his direction out of nowhere.

Chris looked up at the wendigo startled, trying to make sense of the situation. Josh was trying to feed him. Josh was trying to feed him an _arm_. He gaped in shock for a moment before he felt positively sick because dear god that was a human arm!

"Josh, no. No no no we're not going there!" Chris protested grabbing the arm before pulling out his lighter, setting it in fire as well. He would NOT go as low as eat a human. Not when he knew what would happen to him if he did. And he wouldn't let Josh do that either, not if he could stop him.

Milky eyes went wide and clawed hands swiped at the burning meat, the smell of smoke and roasting flesh hitting his nose and making his feral mind downright hysterical. Without thinking Josh lunged at the burning arm, trying in vain to remove it from the heat that was slowly stripping it of all things edible, only to pull away with a pain filled cry as the flames began lapping at his own flesh. Retreating to a corner, the creature that had once been Joshua Washington sat there nursing his wounds while casting sharp, angry stares at the human who had ruined everything.

Josh was obviously displeased, yet the way his friend remained in the corner of the room reminded him so much of the human sulking and Chris could not stop himself from smiling just a bit. His stomach growled loudly, causing him to once again wince, yet when he reached for the last pack of beef jerky, he found his gaze drifting over at Josh again.

The other was probably even more starved than he was.

Gritting his teeth together for a moment, Chris sighed softly before dropping his bag and tore the package open with his teeth before making his way cautiously over to the other male. "Josh." He called just to get his attention, lowering the package on the ground and nudged them closer to the other.

"Eat."

Studying Chris' face for a moment, Josh let out a clicking noise before reaching out and quickly snatching the item in question, sniffing it much like a dog would. From up close the meat scent was even stronger, couple by something that was both familiar and foreign to him at the same time. It smelled like food. Was the human trying to feed him its food as an apology for burning the arm? How stupid.

Still, he WAS hungry. There could be no harm in eating this. It was meat after all. 

Tentatively he brought the strip of jerky to his mouth, tearing off a good sized chuck of it with his large, jagged teeth. Yep. Definitely meat. But different meat. It was meat that made his tongue tingle and feel warm. It wasn't soft like fresh meat either, instead it had a dry chewiness that made him gnaw at it for a bit. He liked it. He liked it a lot. 

He tore into the remaining of it in a violent fervor, devouring the strange but pleasant tasting meal like a starving animal would before turning his gaze towards the human's bag. He wanted more. More of this delicious meat. Swiftly moving past the human he grabbed hold of the bag, clawed hands digging into it and pulling out the contents. Yet nothing resembled the meat he had just eaten. Nothing resembled any of the food he had seen the human eat either.

The human had given him the last of its food.


	3. Chapter 3

Why had the human given him the last of its food after burning the arm? It didn't make sense at all. Unless the human intended to die there he needed to eat. Watching as the human settled down against one of the rocks, Josh peered at him with an uncertain look in his milky eyes. It was still making noises though none of them seemed to be addressing him in particular. So why did it make them? 

Was it asking for him to hunt for it?

Yes, that had to be it. 

It was an agitating thoughts that had Josh growling softly, especially considering he had offered the human food only a little while earlier and it had burned it. Yet maybe it didn't like meat that was cold. 

Pleased with this explanation Josh turned away from the human and returned to the doorway, once more growling in warning for it not to follow him before making his way back to the cavern that held the underground lake and opening to the mountain. He took a moment to stare sadly as the place where he had found the arm earlier, before scaling the wall and ceiling into the wilderness above.

The deer and elk were plentiful and he had no difficulty catching one, tearing its throat out with a long, clawed hand before dragging the carcass back to the hole he had come from. For a brief moment he had thought he saw more humans, but unlike the ones who had been near the mines these had something about them that made him uneasy. As if there was something warding him away from them. He didn't like it so he stayed away.

Returning with the large buck was hard. The hole where had climbed in wasn't entirely up against the wall but instead a few feet in towards the center, so he had needed to drop the carcass into the pile of snow below so that he could properly climb his way down. Hopefully the human wouldn't mind a bit of cold on the fur. 

Growling filled the halls as he slipped his way back to the room he had left the human in, his eyes darting around to make sure the useless creature hadn't wandered off and gotten itself stuck. When he returned to find it still in the room he had left it in the noise he made could have been considered on of pleasure, and he took on an almost proud stance when the dead carcass was deposited before the human.

Chris jerked back awake at the sound of something heavy falling in front of him, and he removed his glasses so he could rub his eyes before focusing on the sight before him. Josh had been hunting, apparently. The elk before him was large, and for a moment he was baffled that Josh had carried it back into the mines all by himself.

His gaze darted from the elk back to Josh, and the surprisingly pleased look on his face told him enough. Josh had hunted this for him.

Chris fingers shook as he pulled out the hunting blade from his bag before shifting closer to the elk, feeling sorry for the animal for a moment before starting to skin it. The sight and smell were enough to make him gag, the whole job taking him good couple of hours until he was on the point of major exhaustion.

Yet he refused to eat the meat raw.

When the fire returned Josh immediately let out a shriek, anger returned as he thought the human meant to burn the food once again, yet the stinging pain from the earlier fire kept him from launching himself at the man. Instead he retreated back to his corner, letting out growls and the occasional wail that slowly tailored off as it became more and more apparent that the human was burning the meal again.

Just a strip of it.

The smell of roasting meat was something that seemed familiar, like all the other things that his mind had stored away and were steadily coming to the surface with each hour he spent by his humans side. His human. That's what Chris was. His human. Who else would look after him other then Josh?

Slowly, he drew closer to the roasting flesh, growling curiously as he watched the color change from pink to red to a reddish-brown. While he did not much care for fire, the smell wafting from the meat was delicious and he wanted nothing more to grab the chunk and eat it himself. Yet then his human would be left hungry again and he didn't want that as strange as it may have been.

So he opted for trying to make the human realize he wanted some and make him his own. Easy enough. The human may have been stupid but it seemed pretty smart for standards. So when Josh dropped a large chunk of the meat into the blond man's lap, eyes alternating between the slice on the fire to the one in the blonds lap and then up to Chris face, he firmly believed that the man would take a hint.

Chris looked down at the piece of meat startled, glancing up at Josh as if to ask what the other wanted him to do with it. Wasn't it obvious that he wouldn't eat the meat raw? What he saw hovered both surprised him and gave him a tiny glimmer of hope.

Josh wanted him to cook the meat for him.

Josh didn't want it raw.

Smiling at the thought, Chris pierced the second piece of meat and just like his own, hung it above the fire to cook. "There's some human left in you." He said softly, talking more to himself than Josh. "It's something, it's a start."

As soon as the meat was cooked, Chris pulled the sticks out of the fire and handed the other one for Josh. "Eat."

There was that noise again. The one that his human had made earlier when offering him his dry meat stick. While he had absolutely no idea what the other meant with his other words his wild mind was still intelligent enough to be able to connect the dots between this situation and the previous one.

A burnt, clawed hand reach out to pluck the offered meat from the stick, retreating back to his corner with it before sinking his teeth into the tender flesh. Unlike the earlier stuff he had been offered this definitely had the familiar taste of deer, yet it also had something else to it that he didn't understand. A smoky flavor that left him confused. 

He ate the meal a lot slower then he usually would. Tasting it and trying to figure out why the human preferred it the raw flesh that Josh had offered him. It wasn't a mushy as regular meat was. Maybe that was it? The other meat had been hard, almost crunchy like bone, so maybe the human just didn't like the mushiness? That didn't explain why he tossed the arm away, however.

Without realizing it he had finished the cooked meat, the ever present hunger that seemed to always flood his system shockingly subsiding to a well fed contentedness. After a long moment of consideration he circled around in his little corner and laid himself down, his eyes staring at the body of the human, illuminated by the firelight. Blinking, there was a brief moment where something flashed before his eyes. A scene before another fire. With a younger human. No. It was the same human, just younger. Happier too. 

Letting out an agitated growl, he turned his head, closing his eyes and setting in for a light slumber until the surge of hunger hit him once more.

***

There was something wrong with his human. Josh had noticed it roughly three days after dragging Chris into the warmer part of the mine. The other man's eyes were different. His tone was more somber when he spoke and occasionally water would spill from his eyes. In the middle of the night he would lay down to slumber only to end up waking and letting out weak cries. 

Last night, for the first time ever, he had crawled up beside his human and laid before him. Sharing whatever heat he could and trying to offer that same comfort that the human's presence had on him, hoping maybe it would awaken looking better then it had before, cooking their meal with a smile and not that haunted look.

The cooked meat became a stable meal for both of them. After the initial consumption of cooked meat Josh had found himself not wanting to return to raw flesh. Not that he did not like raw flesh, but the cooked meat seemed to subdue the hunger whereas the raw meat only dimmed its pangs. He preferred not feeling hungry. 

Up until that point Josh had been bringing water to him in an old wooden bowl he had found somewhere in the cavern, having refused to allow his human to wander the mines in fear of it injuring itself. It had been strange. The morning after he had first tasted the cooked meat he had felt different. Smarter. The item that had seemed worthless to him before suddenly had a use, though it had taken him a good amount of time to connect the dots on how to use it. He had carried it back to the human, setting it down softly before Chris so as not to spill the contents and watched him until he drank, repeating that three times everyday.

Today, he had decided that he would take his human to the cavern with the water and the sky. Maybe it would feel better. 

The minute Chris had finished cooking there breakfast Josh had moved forward, clawed hand grabbing hold of the man's arm and carefully pulling him forward and through the door to their little room. Carefully, because if he was not careful his weak and frail human might break because of Josh's own strength. He made sure that the human watched him as he pointed out markings on the walls and floor, things Josh had drawn from the blood of the deer and elk he killed that looked more like bloody claws marks then anything of importance. But they were. They would lead the human to and from the cavern. 

When they arrived at the cavern it was sometime around late morning. The sun was barely visible from the hole in the ceiling, its rays warm but the sharp chill of mountain air making the ability to gain warmth from it impossible. Still. It was the sun. Maybe the human would like it.

The gasp that left Chris' lips was full of surprise and disbelief as soon as he saw the cavern, his feet carrying him forward past Josh. While the light of the sun was not fully focused on them, it was still bright enough to make him shelter his eyes and it took a lot longer than usually for him to get used to it.

The cavern was definitely larger than the room they had spent their days in, and for the first time in a long time Chris breathed in deeply and inhaled fresh air instead of the dampness of the mines that surely would make him sick sooner or later. 

Josh brought him here. 

Josh thought he would like to see this.

Josh was starting to act more like a human each day. The way he brought him water and had marked the tunnels so could find the cavern all suggested to the fact that his friend was still there, and growing stronger.

For once, he allowed himself to hope.

The blond turned to face his friend, the first genuine smile playing on his lips. "Thank you, Josh."

Josh's response was almost reminiscent of the noise of the titular antagonist of the Aliens franchise made, though it seemed to hold a bit more emotion then mere clicking. His human was pleased. It was making a gesture with its mouth that indicated that it was happy. 

It still did not look right though.

Pulling away, Josh moved to slide into the water, the chill meaning nothing to his partially transformed body. For a while he waded there, watching Chris as if he was waiting for the blond man to come and join him. When Chris didn't he let out another growl and crawled out of the water and towards where the human stood under the sunshine.

In the darkness of the mines it would have been difficult to see but standing there in the light of the sun, as limited as it may have been, it was easy to note that the transformation from man into Wendigo had ceased in Josh. His eyes were no more milky then they had been the day Chris had found him, his teeth and nails no sharper, his skin no paler. In fact, under the light of the sun, it became evident that Josh's skin was starting to regain its previous tanned color.

Chris could only gape at the sight in front of him. He had learned about humans changing into wendigos, but for a wendigo to change back into a human? Was that even possible or was he just seeing things, his imagination pranking on him?

If they could change back, what had kept Hannah from changing as well? Josh did stop eating human meat, could that have something to do with it? Did he stop before he had the chance to lose himself completely?

There were so many questions Chris didn't have an answer for, but he hoped from all his heart that one day he would have his friend back. 

"You're looking healthier. Wish I had something to sew your chin shut with though, it could speed up the healing." He sighed, even if he smiled a bit. "You coming back for me?" He didn't expect an answer like usually, but it still felt good to say those words out loud.

Josh could only respond with a soft growl, confusion mixing in with the animal like sound as his head tilted slightly. The human had not addressed him but something about the way he spoke made it seem like he wanted a reply. What could it be asking him? Did it want him to show it something? Maybe it was uncertain about the water? It had drank it without thought earlier but now it seemed to avoid it.

Growling again, he turned back towards the water, stepping into it and slinking down into the icy liquid until it was just his eyes, hair and nose above the surface. Without his gaze leaving Chris he crawled around underneath the waters surface, slowly returning to the human, pleased at how he had proven the water to be safe to enter. 

Of course that meant that Josh was now sopping wet. The overalls and shirt he had been wearing were already in horrible condition and even the water did nothing to remove the stains of blood and grime. The shirt had begun tearing in places, namely around the sleeves and the neck line, and one of the suspenders had snapped off when its metal clasp had caught on one of the many hooks that seemed to lie in the mine. They did little to keep out the elements, not that Josh felt cold anymore anyway, but he had been unable to think of a reason to get rid of them. Doubly so with the human present. 

One more returning to the humans side he watched and waited for something to indicate what it was Chris wanted.

The mere thought that perhaps Josh was trying to teach him how to swim had the corner of Chris' lips curling in an amused smile as he shook his head. "I'd die of hypothermia, man." He pointed out, quickly realizing that Josh did not understand what he meant. So instead he pointed at the water, then himself and rubbed at both of his arms like he was cold.

Chris appreciated the gesture though, it was surprisingly sweet for a half human, half wendigo. "So this is where you get the water for me, huh?" Chris smiled glancing back at the water before tilting his head up, enjoying the ghosting touch of warmth on his cheeks.

Josh's eyes followed the humans movements, knowing that once more he was addressing him without actually addressing. Did the human want to know how he got in and out of the cavern? He supposed he could show him. It was not a particularly difficult task after all.

Crouching low, Josh swiftly leapt towards the wall, long talon like fingers digging into the rock as he climbed his way upwards until he was directly over Chris's head, just hanging there and watching him. The water on his clothing made the movements a bit difficult, but he didn't seem too held down by the additional weight, an occasional drop of water hitting the area near Chris's feet. 

There was pain however. There had been pain ever since he had thrust his hands into the fire in an attempt to save the last of the human flesh. While normally it was bearable, right now it left him cringing and letting out the occasional whimper. He needed to get down. It hurt. Without bothering to wait until the human was pleased he leapt down, righting himself almost like a cat so that he landed in a crouching position a couple of feet away from Chris. 

His hand hurt. There was blood. His blood. He was bleeding but since when?

A growl of annoyance escaped his lips, his tongue darting out to lap at the sensitive flesh of his hands. The palms were burning in pain, gravel stuck in the now reopened wounds. But it wasn't new. Josh was used to it after having to use his hands to climb the cliff. What bothered him was how long they lasted. Nothing else hurt him like fire did. The jagged rocks had done nothing to his skin until the fire had burnt through it.

During their days together, Chris had never seen Josh bleed before. No matter how much he crawled on his hands, or jumped and clung on the walls. It was another fact that brought forward the hope, even if the pain was clearly bothering Josh if the hissing and growling was any indication.

"Josh." He called the others name again to get his attention as he walked to the edge of the water before dipping his hands in it. A visible shudder ran through his body at the numbing coldness, but he forced himself to keep his hands there before pointing at his friend, then his hands, and dipped it back in the water.

Moving to slowly join his human at the waters edge Josh watched him as he did his little routine. Dipping his hands in, shuddering at the cold, taking them out and pointing, before dipping them back in again. Around the third or fourth time Josh finally seemed to take the hint, mirroring Chris' actions and dipping his bloodied hands into the dark water. 

Almost immediately there was a surge of relief from the pain. The blood that was trickling from his palms tinted the water a light pinkish red color and the pebbles and dirt embedded in his skin went with it. Josh watched curiously at the sight. It was different from cleaning the wound with his tongue. There was no unpleasant pressure or sting from contact, just a slow staining of clear to a blotchy red. Occasionally, Josh would shake his hands, watching as more of the dirt was pulled away. When he lifted his hands out of the water most of the things littering his wound was gone, save for a couple of the deeper embedded pebbles. 

Unsure what to do about them he turned and held out the clawed hands towards his human, milky eyes watching him for signs of what to do next. Would the human lick them clean now? Would he do something else? Whatever he did, strangely Josh trusted him to do it with minimal harm to Josh.

Chris blinked surprised as the hands were thrust in his direction, and the blond clearly hesitated before stepping closer, taking them in his own. Keeping his eyes on Josh, Chris used his own shirt to dry them off with care, inspecting the wounds in the light of the sun. Luckily the cuts were not deep, so he didn't think they would be in too much trouble because of them.

The human's touch was strangely familiar. Then again most of the things about his human were oddly familiar so Josh really didn't put much stock into this one. Still, there was an odd sense of contentment that came with the contact even if it was slightly painful. 

The human dried his hands with such tender care Josh wondered if it thought it was the one taking care of him. Which was absolutely absurd. The human had no idea how to take care of himself, let alone take care of Josh. Yet he seemed to believe that the wounds on Josh's hands needed to be taken care of. Odd considering the human's own wounds were a lot sicker looking then his own. 

Looking at his now dry hands, Josh pulled away to contemplate them for a moment, looking them over and noting that the burnt skin was certainly a lot better looking. It still stung, but less so now then it did before. By nightfall he was confident it would have healed over. Most wounds did after all. His skin was very resilient. 

His gaze turned back towards his human, noting the smile which indicated that it was happy. Was it happy that Josh's wounds were looking better? Probably. Maybe Josh should return the favor. It certainly hadn't been looking after itself as it should have been. The marks on its shoulders looked strange. Sickly. Not to mention they gave off an unpleasant smell. Hadn't is had something on them earlier? Where did it go? Oh right, Josh had accidentally torn them in his excitement to get to one of his meals a day or two ago. 

Slipping forward once more, Josh stood himself to his full height as a clawed hand grabbed hold of the blond man before him. His eyes darted towards the wounds on his neck and shoulder then back to the human's face. Then he moved in before the human could think to stop him.

The taste of flesh was not the same now as it had been several days before. It was certainly human and the beast in him screamed out for him to bite into it. Yet the other part of him fought that side, telling him that this was his human and eating it would make him sad, and for that reason it seemed so very unappealing. Well that and the gross taste of sick that came from the wound. Cringing at the taste of it he had to pull back and let out an agitated growl. Such a stupid human for not licking its wounds clean. It should be thankful that Josh was there to look after it.

The wet, rough glide sent a sharp flash of hot pain through Chris' body and the blond jerked slightly with a hiss, hands pressing against Josh's chest. "What are you doing? Josh, stop it!" Even if he knew it was useless to speak to the creature, he hoped the tone of his voice while shaky, would still tell the other to back off.

The risk that Josh would like what he tasted like was too big, not to mention the possible infection risk his tongue could cause... even if the wounds pulsed in a way that already spoke of an infection.

"Josh, I'm serious! Let go of me!" He tried to push the other away again, heart beating rapidly in his chest.

Growling out in warning, Josh's grip on the blond tightened. The way he squirmed and pushed at Josh was hardly anything that was powerful enough to push him away but he could smell the fear in his human. Stupid thing really needed to hold still or he would get hurt. 

Eventually Josh did pull away, pleased that he had removed most of the ick from the wound he had been licking but displeased that he would most likely be unable to get at the second. Additionally, his human seemed to be absolutely terrified and possibly angry. Good. The human should be scared. It was sick and needed to look after itself better. 

Releasing the blond with another disapproving growl Josh took a moment to dunk his face into the cool water, opening his mouth and shaking it about in an attempt to rid himself of the horrible taste. When he pulled up again his mouth still held a tinge of that unpleasantness and he made a sound almost reminiscent of gagging as he tried to push the taste away with his tongue. Turning his eyes towards Chris, he gave the young man a look that clearly displayed his displeasure over what he had to do for it. 

'See what I needed to do for you? I had to clean that gross wound for you and now you're angry at me for no reason.' Was what it seemed to say. To emphasize that the human needed to do the rest of it himself if he was going to be huffy Josh smacked a clawed hand against the water while glaring at Chris.

"I didn't ask you to lick it, so stop glaring at me!" The response came out as hysterical laughter, as if Chris couldn't believe he was still alive and in one piece. Josh had 'cleaned' his wound, he hadn't been tasting whether he'd make a good meal or not.

The blond stumbled over to the water again and he knelt before it, dipping his hand in the cold water before running the now wet fingers across the wounds. The motion drew another pained hiss from his lips, but he could not be sure if having wendigo spit on a wound would be good for him.

The skin around the wounds were angry red now, the wound themselves a color of mixed red and yellowish. Chris peered at them the best he could from the surface of the water before sighing. "Better hope this won't give me the fever."


	4. Chapter 4

Nothing.

It was drawing upon the third week since Chris had ran away from home and back to Blackwood Mountain and still nothing had been heard about the whereabouts of him or Josh. After the disappearance of the first rescue team the police had been hesitant to send down a second, instead centering on their search of the mountain itself in hopes that maybe the two boys had found a way out. Of course, it was all for show. Nobody expected to find either of them. Not alive anyway.

Clutching the plastic cup filled with Dunkin Donuts coffee to her chest, Sam breathed in the warm scent of the dark liquid, allowing its familiar aroma to calm the aching feeling that had begun to grow more and more prominent. Losing Josh had been hard enough, but to lose Chris as well was almost unbearable. Anxious nights spent by her phone, waiting for a call from someone, anyone, to tell her that at least one of them had made it out okay became the norm not only for her but the others as well.

Ashley had been near hysterics when she had told her, the girl nearly going up there herself despite the fact that of all of them Ashley was the most terrified of what could be found up there. Yet Chris was her best friend, someone she loved deeply even if that love had fizzled into a platonic family like bond after the events on the mountain. Perhaps that's why Sam spent so much time with her now. They were kindred spirits in a ways. Of course, Josh probably had never looked at Sam the way Chris had once looked at Ashley, but that didn't change the fact that there was still love there. Maybe.

Honestly, Sam didn't really know anymore.

Of all of them, Mike shockingly seemed to be the most optimistic. When Sam had told him that Chris had most likely gotten eaten up by what would no doubt be the Wendigo once known as Josh Washington he had hesitated to agree. Hannah had spared Josh, probably because of family relations, and more then that she had also never acted to kill Mike either, despite being given ample opportunities to do so. 

Perhaps even in their most beast like state there was still a way to reach them if there was enough of a bond there. Given the relationship Chris and Josh had shared, Chris would be the most likely of all of them to survive an encounter with Josh. They had cared about each other deeply. More so then even Hannah and Sam had cared for one another. 

Swallowing down a large gulp of the bitter, unsweetened beverage, Sam tried to tell herself that it would be okay. 

It was all she could do right now after all.

***

Josh was starting to change.

They were small things that Chris could easily overlook, if he hadn't spent the last three weeks with Josh. The skin around Josh's cheek was less raw looking, and the brunette seemed to actually have to tear into the meat they were eating with more strength before. As if his teeth weren't as sharp anymore than before.

Not only that, it nearly felt like Josh had developed some sort of humor as well. There were times when Chris would go to the corner where he'd usually sleep only to find a dead mouse or a rabbit laying n his bedroll. When he'd turn to look at Josh, his eyes seemed to be laughing despite remaining mostly white.

He wasn't sure what to think of the changes.

Additionally, twice a day Josh would usher Chris out of the room and back to the pool of water to make sure the human washed his wound. After the initial licking incident Josh had learned that his human was fearful of his teeth and mouth. Good. Josh was very proud of his fearsome mouth. Or at least what was left of it.

Grumbling as he tried to tug at the cooked flesh in his mouth, the partial Wendigo was clearly growing frustrated with how hard it had become to simply tear away at his meal. It was frustrating having to use more effort then before to gnaw at the meat and with his mouth hole growing smaller he was also forced to take much smaller bites of his meal as well. Then there was the pain. Much like his hands when placed in the fire, Josh had begun realizing that his face was starting to grow softer and more susceptible to pain, making whatever was going on with his mouth all the more unpleasant. 

Not that it stopped him from eating. Josh loved to eat. Even if he didn't need to do it as much as he used to. 

Looking up from his now mostly finished meal, Josh turned his attention back towards his human. It was around this time that Chris would start making noises again. Noises that Josh had begun to recognize as some kind of language. Three weeks with the human had taught him to associate some words with actions or gestures. 'Cold' was when his human would sit there shivering, waiting for Josh's warmth. 'Wet' was what happened when the water spilled or got on the human's clothing. 'Eat' of course was the consumption of a meal. 'Meat' was the meal. 

Most importantly, 'Chris' was his human. 

That one he had somehow learned on his own. His human had never actually said it. So when Josh had woken up one day and looked at his human and thought of him as 'Chris' it had come to be a rather strange revelation. It was like the 'Josh' word. Something deep down in him had just remembered it and clung to it.

"Sometimes I wonder what the others are doing." Chris started the one-sided conversation, wiping his lips on the back of his hand. "Sam's smart, I think she's already figured out what's happened. What I wonder about is why no one has bothered to come to get us." 

Maybe they didn't care. 

It wasn't the first time such a thought would enter his head. The longer he was without his medication, the easier it was for him to succumb for the darker thoughts of doubt as well as the nightmares.

"...Either way, I'm sure they're fine." He continued a tad more quietly, lowering his gaze on the dying fire.

Josh didn't like the fire. It made him uncomfortable with its heat and burning. He did like Chris though so he didn't hesitate in drawing closer when he realized that his human was speaking sad words. 

How would another human do it? How would another human comfort the other?

Noises? Maybe he should make noises like the human did. If he did then maybe Chris would brighten up and smile again. He liked his smiles a lot more then whatever it was that he was doing right now. 

Trying to speak the human language was difficult. Yes, he could copy the words that the human said but he doubted that the blond wanted to hear his own voice repeated at himself. No. In order to help Chris he would need to make up new noises all on his own. A shockingly difficult task given the fact he had no idea where to start. 

At first he just sat there, mouth open and tongue lolling as he let out a bunch of oddly distorted grumbling noises and growls. Things that had some semblance of effort but didn't amount to much. It took him a while but eventually he came to realize that depending on where his tongue was placed in his mouth he could make alternate noises and sounds. From there he experimented, no doubt drawing his human's attention as his face scrunched up in concentration. 

Then it happened. In a crowning moment of progress he finally managed to connect the sounds into something that seemed to be an actual coherent effort at communication.

"Arrgl globbl flirsht bimphl!" Startled by the sound of his own voice, Josh straightened up and looked around, eyes wide in shock before he turned to look at Chris. "Odcloz mexjy soq." His lips curled into another one of his odd little smiles, so delighted at this new development and the sound of his own voice that he began hopping around and 'speaking' at the same time. "Isheibl corfsnaw lurt!"

To say Chris was taken aback would be an understatement. The sudden blurted 'words' caused his head to snap up so fast he gave himself a whiplash, wide eyes taking in the sight before him. Josh kept jumping around, arms flailing as if he was trying to fly while releasing noises Chris had heard babies let out.

It was such an absurd and hilarious sight that he couldn't help but burst out laughing, the noise echoing from the walls as the blond curled into himself, body shaking with laughter. Joy, confusion and hope mixed into one, the earlier thoughts all but forgotten as he listened to the noises Josh made.

It was as if he was trying to learn how to talk.

"Josh." He giggled out his friend's name, wiping the water from his eyes. He could not remember the last time he had laughed like that.

"Omplom yoirk zorbagr." The noises were fun and saying them pleased Josh greatly. It felt like he was finally communicating with Chris. That they finally had something other then hand motions and expressions or the occasional jerk of the head to convey messages with. Sure, it was little more then complete nonsense on Josh's part, but it was a sign of improvement that could not go unnoticed by the blond.

Watching Chris with a somewhat curious expression, he slowly fixated on the young man's lips, watching them as they curled into a smile. For some reason, this was something that Josh wanted. He wanted his human's lips to stay curled up like that. For him to keep saying his name in that way that sounded pleasing to his ears and for Chris to keep making that jingly noise that sounded so very merry.

"You're like a baby." Chris chuckled shaking his head, shoulders trembling with laughter as he started to calm down and took a moment to just look at the person before him. The one who was not the same person he had met couple of weeks ago. 

"Maybe I should start to teach you words." He mused after a moment, tilting his head back a bit. "Dad, mom, all that jazz. Jesus, I never thought I'd find myself in this kind of situation."

"Quwerp sexpcroy vibblu jezznob." Josh responded with a tilt of his own head, mirroring Chris as he watched the blond take on a contemplative expression. Was his human responding to his noises or merely going off and doing his own thing? At this point it was impossible to tell, but Josh was determined now to respond to Chris whenever he said something, be it directed at him or otherwise. 

There were so many things that were changing in him. His teeth and mouth. His eyes. And now even his mind and temperament towards not only Chris but other humans. 

Would the humans that had begun hanging around the main mine entrances and human building react the same way to Josh as Chris did? He had attacked one of them when they had ventured too close to Josh's means to the surface, leaving them near the old hotel alive but sporting heavy injury. He could have dragged them down into the mines to eat later, but something about it had seemed so foul an idea, like human flesh was a last resort. Besides, Chris wouldn't eat it and Josh had grown rather used to the taste of cooked meat as opposed to raw meat.

***

Day by day, Chris watched Josh.... well, turn. He did not growl as often as he used to, he did not touch the meat when it was raw unless he was positively starving or just impatient to wait for it to cook.

And at first he had thought about it as another trick of his eyes, the mines were dark after all, and the cavern was really not that much brighter either. But slowly he had to admit that he was not seeing tricks, that Josh's skin was turning back into the golden brown he so loved. Day by day the sick paleness disappeared, but that was not the thing that had Chris gasping one morning when he woke up.

It was the sight of green eyes staring back at him.

Not milky white, not gray or white with a hint of green peeking out from underneath the cloud. No, it was the forest green Chris had learned to know and love.

The blond rubbed his own eyes, staring at his friend both shocked and hopeful. "Josh?" Disbelief colored his tone alongside with his choked laughter. "Are you really coming back to me? I don't know how the hell you're doing this man, but please keep doing whatever it is you're doing."

"Rell. Dorrible flease bock." Josh responded as he made a gesture that was almost like shrugging his shoulders. As time had went on his speaking habits had changed as well. While he still didn't speak in actual words, there was a clear sentence structure and the combination of vowels and consonants actually worked in a way that they would be combined in naturally. He would take the noises that he heard when Chris spoke and combine them, as opposed to simply uttering out random sounds. 

Slipping in closer to the blond he moved to rest his head down beside that of the blond. A clawed hand slipped to gently press against the other man's chest, merely enjoying the closeness of the contact and the feeling of the heartbeat in Chris' chest. This was a first for him, though he had tried similar actions over the past two days. His head would come to rest in his human's lap after evening meals, allowing the other to run his fingers through his hair should he so choose to do so. At one point he had moved to rest his head upon Chris' shoulder, but he had pulled away quickly when he saw the other cringe.

Chris' heart skipped a beat under Josh's hand. Not from fear though, no. It was hope and perhaps something more too, it was something that kept Chris smiling and gave him strength to continue on despite how hard the weeks had been on him, on them both. He could see the claws on Josh's fingers, and the other's breath against his neck caused him to shudder ever so slightly before the blond relaxed again.

"You used to do this a lot before." Chris murmured softly. "I think you thought I was asleep every time you did it. You'd curl closer, and stop, then curl closer again until you would be resting your head against my chest. You'd settle down there, and fall asleep in only minutes. I always found it adorable."

The soft 'lub dub' of the organ faltered a bit at first, but otherwise it seemed completely in tune with Josh's own peaceful heartbeat. Without thinking he placed his free hand upon his own chest, feeling for a difference but finding none. They were the same. Exactly the same.

Green eyes turned to look at Chris' face when the other began to speak, something about his words inciting an image in his mind. A room that felt colder then even the mines in its emptiness. A... bed and the sight of Chris' face, eyes closed and peaceful. A feeling of comfort that came when he pressed against the blond and a contented drowsiness that followed. 

As if spurned on by that feeling he pulled his hand away from Chris' chest, shuffling in closer and resting his head in the exact location that he had been in during the memory. Closing his eyes he immediately felt a flood of those exact feelings and his breath hitched in surprise before the drowsiness hit him. When was the last time he had actually felt rested? He didn't remember. 

Without knowing it, he fell asleep in the time span it took for Chris to realize what was going on.

Chris remained completely frozen as Josh shifted to lay upon him, head resting above his heart like it always used to. His fingers twitched ever so slightly in surprise, and he did not dare to breathe for a good minute before realizing that Josh was asleep. 

The knowledge sent a burst of warmth through the younger boy, his hand resting upon Josh's back carefully. He could feel the skin heat through the other's shirt, another proof that Josh was truly returning. How, he wasn't sure and frankly couldn't care less.

Josh would come back. 

That was all that mattered.

Comforted by Josh's weight and presence, Chris followed him to sleep with a small smile playing on his lips.


	5. Chapter 5

He was in that room from his memory. The big one with the large empty, cold feeling. Except it was slightly different. There were objects scattered around the floor that he associated with fun and there were less large unmoving images on the wall sporting scribbles. The bed had a different spread on it and the large device that was connected to smaller devices had less smaller devices. Regardless, it still gave him that same cold feeling of isolation. 

He stood beside a window, eyes darting outside where the sun streamed in and several large shiny animals stood grazing on a dark black mound of something Josh could only assume to be dirt. Why were they not moving? He didn't know. It didn't make sense. 

A new animal galloped up the long path of black, hard dirt, stopping beside the others and a surge of joy shot through him, body lifting on his own. Briefly, he could see two humans get out of the larger animal but he didn't have the chance to contemplate as he body was suddenly bolting out of the cold room and into a long hallway, down another hallway and then nearly flying down some steps before running towards a door and opening up.

"Chris! Finally! I was starting to think you couldn't read my directions!" A voice said. A voice Josh recognized as his own but much squeakier. Younger. This was him when he was young. Then the person walking towards him, with the glasses and blond hair could only be his human. 

"Hah! You're handwriting is pretty bad but no. My mom wanted to stop by the laundry mat first." Little Chris said while making a face, tongue sticking out as an older woman who resembled his human let out a soft laugh behind him. 

"Hello! You must be Josh! Chris has not stopped talking about you for weeks! I'm glad to finally meet you." The older human said as she held out her hand, which he moved to take, a feeling of anxiousness hitting him in waves. Would the older human approve of him? He wanted her too. He needed her too. She was important to Chris. 

"Nice to meet you too, ma'am!" Little him said, shaking her hand in a manner that was not nearly as energetic as he thought he would. "Thank you for letting Chris spend the night!"

"Oh no! It's fine dear. I just wish I could have had a chance to meet your parents in person first... but it's alright. I understand they can be busy." The adult human's words filled him with a brief surge of sadness, but he pushed it away as he let go of her hand.

"They'll be back late tonight... Friday's are really busy since they try to finish everything before the weekend. You can speak with Roberta or Walter though. They're in charge of most of the stuff around here like food and making sure my sisters and I get to bed on time."

"It's fine dear. I've already spoken to your parents over the phone. Besides, I can see Christopher is eager to get on with this sleep over of yours." The older woman let out a laugh as she pulled her son away, kissing his cheek and speaking to him softly in a way that Josh could not hear. His human nodded his head and let out a whine, before the two parted with a hug and Chris returned to his side. 

"Alright! Let's go! I've got three boxes of Twinkies stashed in my bag with our name on it." The boy said with a large grin, Josh's own face lighting up as he nodded and led the boy inside. They had made it to the stairs before two pairs of eyes found them. 

Standing at the top of the stairs were two young human girls that something in Josh's mind immediately recognized as his sisters. 

Hannah was the older one, sporting slightly longer hair and a pair of delicate pinkish-purple glasses. Her clothing was more reserved then the other girls, consisting of a simple light purple skirt and a white and periwinkle striped shirt. Her leggings were white and her shoes, the only garment she shared with her sister, were a bright pink with glitter. 

Beth, the younger of the two Josh seemed to recall, stood clad in a mishmash of things that made Josh smile. She had obviously been tossing on clothing at random after getting home from school, as nothing seemed to match and was hard to differentiate what was what. Her lips broke out into a large smile when she caught Josh's gaze.

"Your friend is finally here? Well come on! Introduce us!" She said, running down the stairs with her sister in tow, both girls staring curiously at Chris. 

"Wow! Slow down he just got here!" Laughing, Josh shook his head and looked between them. "Chris, these are my sisters. Hannah-" he gestured towards the more reserved girl, who smiled and bid the boy hello. "-and Beth!" Beth took Chris hand all on her own, shaking it firmly enough to make the blond cringe. Despite the discomfort Chris was in Josh felt no hostility towards her. Just love and affection. 

Her mouth opened but suddenly the world around him grew still, no sounds pulling from her lips as everything began to fade and grow blurry. The world around him melted away, the two girls aging. At one point, Beth suddenly vanished, poofing into a waft of colorful smoke. Hannah remained, her features growing twisted and deformed. A wendigo. She was like Josh. But then she too vanished and it was just him and Chris. 

Chris jerked awake at the sound of the sudden screech that pierced the air, his body instantly in alert in case of danger before his gaze landed on Josh. The brunette seemed startled, troubled, perhaps even a tad scared. It was a look he had not seen on Josh in months, and it caused his stomach to drop slightly.

But at the same time, there was something familiar about it. It was something he had seen several times before, during the dark nights when he would sleep beside the other.

"Josh." Chris shifted slightly, touching the other's hand carefully. He did his best to keep his voice soothing, but he was also confused by the fact that it seemed like Josh was able to dream. 

"It's fine, you're fine. It was just a dream, or perhaps a nightmare. It's hard for me to say. But nothing's going to get you, I promise."

"Gine. Gine. Gine." Josh said in a hushed tone, shuddering and wanting the memory of what he had just seen to vanish. Chris' voice was soothing, once more bringing a sense of security and comfort that he needed so desperately. Eventually, the fear and sadness waned away, replaced once more by a calmness. 

Yet despite that, Josh continued to repeat the 'word' 'Gine' over and over until he slipped back into a thankfully dreamless slumber.

Only after Josh had drifted back to sleep did Chris dare to move again. His heart was beating faster, lips parted in surprise as he recalled the last couple of minutes again in his head. Josh had said a word. Well, not a word he understood but still, a word. Whether that word meant 'gone' or 'mine', he wasn't sure, but that was beside the point.

Josh was starting to remember how to speak.

Fingers brushed against the other's cheek lightly, wiping away the tears that had spilled from his eyes. "...I'll get you back." He murmured quietly, allowing his own eyes to close. "I'm going to set you free."

***

A team claimed that they had seen someone fitting Josh's description. Someone who from the way they described him had been animal-like in mannerisms but man-like in appearance. Apparently, he had mauled one of the rescue workers when they had drawn too close to a specific location, leaving the man bleeding but alive at the abandoned hotel where he had been found five minutes later by other members of the team. They had carted the man off the mountain after that and while they believed that he might have been hallucinating from blood loss the fact he was persistent in his description of what attacked him made it clear to Sam that Josh was not only alive and out there, but also not as far gone as she thought he would be. 

This information had brought forth a surge of emotions in her. Shock. Fear. Joy. Hope. They mixed inside her in a way that had left her breathless on her phone for a good thirty seconds before the sound of the police woman's voice snapped her out of it and she was able to thank them for the update and hung up. Falling back on her bed, she stared up at the ceiling as she allowed her mind to wander over what this might mean.

Josh was definitely alive and had succumb to the Wendigo curse. Yet from the description he was not fully transformed, something that confused her greatly. She had seen Hannah's journal and the words Hannah had written in it as she lost herself. There had been nothing for her to do but succumb completely. 

So why hadn't Josh?

The only answer she could think of was maybe Chris had found him in time to make a difference. That the blond man had done the unimaginable and stopped the transformation. That he was somewhere alive in the mines, looking after Josh and helping him turn back into a human. Perhaps it was wistful thinking but Sam so desperately wanted it to be the case that she refused to allow her mind to latch onto anything else as an option. 

She needed to go back to the mountain herself. She needed to search for a way to communicate with them and extend what help she could. There was no way she was going back into those mines but maybe, just maybe there would be someone she could speak to that would be able to help her. To help her friends.

Pulling herself up, her lips pressed into a determined frown as she pulled her laptop over to her once more, clicking open a new window and searching the internet for information on the local Native American tribes. Perhaps, just perhaps, they knew something that the Stranger did not. A way to remove the Wendigo Spirit.

It was worth a shot. 

***

Two weeks had passed since the night Josh had his first dream and unfortunately for the very confused partially transformed Wendigo every night since had been filled with them. They came in various shapes, forms and sizes, but most were considerably less vivid then the first one and after the first week Josh had seemed to have begun coping with them. There had been two that had left him highly unsettled, re-imagining things from his past life that had him clinging to Chris in the night, yet most were simple things based around his current life. Hunting. Playing with Chris. Chris speaking to him.

Along with the dreams, Josh had gone through a lot of changes during the course of the past two weeks. Massive changes that had shocked and delighted Chris in ways that Josh hadn't understood at first. 

The first thing that was noticeable was Josh's appearance. Even if you had only been given a picture Josh from when Chris had found him and now you would have seen the incredible difference. The once sharp, jagged teeth were now mostly straight and humanoid, with only a slightly sharpened set of incisors that couldn't even be considered fangs. His cheek and lips had healed over, the skin bearing a shockingly little scarring, no doubt due to the durability of Wendigo skin. In fact, if not for the very thin line that extended from the corner of his mouth up towards his ear, one wouldn't have guessed that at one point it had been twice as long. No. For all intents and purposes Josh's face was completely human.

More impressively than that however, was the burst of intelligence he seemed to have gained. No longer was his mind that of a wild animal, but instead that of a very intelligent trained one, if not that of a primitive human. Chris' words made sense now. Not singular words like eat or water, but entire sentences actually meant something to Josh. Chris would be talking to him and Josh would nod his head in agreement or frown at something that was displeasing. It was limited to things that Josh knew about, but it was certainly a massive improvement. True, he could not speak actual words in response, but his ability to express himself was not limited in the slightest, especially now that facial expressions had become something he was beginning to get a handle on. 

Of course, with the good also came the bad. Josh's skin, while still thicker then Chris, was actually starting to get damaged from things other then fire and his ability to withstand the cold was all but gone. It had come as a surprise to him one day when he had placed a hand onto the snow and found his fingers feeling the chill, so much so that he had nearly fallen back into the cave. 

And then there was the signs of anxiousness that had begun building. Not the restless anxiousness that came from impatience for his meal, but a social anxiousness. Where before he had no issue with things such as using the bathroom or Chris changing clothing now he actively sought out privacy during such moments. Additionally, he had grown quieter, the baby babbling that had once made Chris smile so much now more limited and not as spontaneous. 

It was inconvenient and Josh hated it. 

He had just returned from one such modesty induced trip when he found himself standing at the doorway and observing the blond man. Chris was turned away from him towards the fire, possibly aware of his presence but probably not. For a long time, he just stood and watched him, mind circling on his human as he contemplated who he was. Josh had known Chris before they had met in the mines. He had realized this fact about eight days ago and had been trying to figure the blond out ever since.

He was not a sibling. The dream that he had the first night had proved that he wasn't. Josh had two siblings, two girls named Hannah and Beth, though he had no idea where they were. Did they miss him? Was Hannah actually a Wendigo like him? A part of him felt a surge of sadness whenever he thought about either of them, which only complicated things further.

No. Chris was not related to him, but that did not mean that the blond did not invoke a great deal of affection in him whenever he thought about him or saw him. Chris was someone important from his past and Josh was clearly someone important from Chris'. Enough so that Chris would be here and not with the older human from the dream.

What sold him on the blonde's importance however, had to be the fact that he knew his name despite the blond having never said it. He had identified this human as Chris even before the dream. It had been one of the reasons why Josh had tossed away any notion of attacking the blond. Solidified him as a person of necessity in Josh's life.

His tongue fumbled in his mouth as he stood there, silently fighting against the wall that prevented him from voicing the word that had stuck with him most of their time together. It was one of the only two words that Josh knew without a doubt to mean exactly one thing and he wanted so desperately to say it. To call out to the other man and get him to respond just as Josh did when Chris called for him.

It was a battle, but one that Josh ultimately won. In a voice that was a bit strained from the effort, yet clearly filled with determination and the desire for the blonde's attention, he spoke.

"Chris."

Chris' head jerked up at the call of his name; it was a sound he had not heard in nearly two months now, and definitely not from the person responsible for saying it. Wide eyes stared at the face of his friend as he closed the distance between them, a shiver working its way down his spine as soon as he had left the comfort of the fire.

"Josh?" His own voice was disbelieving and hopeful, fingers trembling a bit when he reached out and touched Josh's arm gently. He had not told the brunette his name. Josh remembered it himself.

Josh remembered him.

"Say it again, please say it again and prove me I'm not going insane here." He begged shakily, staring at the other pleadingly.

The pleading that followed brought conflicting emotions to the older male as well. Sadness over how desperate Chris was to hear his name again and joy over knowing that he could supply his human with what he desired. 

There was no hesitation this time. No difficulty in forming the word that had lingered in his mind for some time now. The first, real word that Josh had spoken since Chris had found him in the mines a nearly two months ago. Gently, as if attempting to offer reassurance towards the man before him, he spoke it again.

"Chris." 

A single clawed finger on the hand not gripping the younger man's arm moved to gently tap the other's chest. Hopefully, the human would understand the gesture for what it meant to convey. That Josh recognized and associated this word with the human man standing before him and that it was not just some random thing that had popped into his head.

"Holy shit. Holy shit you remember me, you really do know me." Chris' voice cracked as he stared at Josh and then the finger that was pressed against his chest. There were times when that claw had harmed him. Times where he had slipped in their 'routine' or went over Josh's comfort zone which had lead into the creature side of his friend to attack him. 

The slashes across his back would scar, remaining as something he could never forget. The hell he went through to get Josh back.

He regretted none of that.

Now the much duller claw just rested there, yet Chris felt like breaking down. "You're really there. You're here, you're coming back, aren't you? I know you are, always were too stubborn for your own good, fucking hell Josh." His laughter was nearly hysterical, even if it was filled with pure joy and relief.

"Soon we're good enough to leave this place, can't risk getting sick again, not again, can't let anything happen to you again. You won't leave again, will you? You're not going to leave me alone, promise me Josh, just promise me we'll get through this."

Chris wanted him to promise never to leave him alone. Yet Josh needed to leave him alone in order to hunt. Confused and more then a little concerned, the Wendigo's eyes looked around towards the elk he had dragged in that morning. It was large, but certainly not large enough to last them forever. Turning his gaze back towards Chris, his green eyes filled with fear at the prospect of not being able to eat.

"Chris!" Gesturing towards the elk, he tried to make his human understand. His voice was urgent, but it was followed shortly after by a much gentler, more reassuring tone as his clawed hand came to rest fully against his human's chest. "Chris..."

'I'm will not leave you. I will hunt but I will not abandon you.' His eyes said it all as they stared into frazzled blue. Would the human understand? He wasn't sure, but he certainly could hope. The last thing he needed was Chris becoming upset and accidentally causing himself harm.

Chris released a shaky breath when Josh repeated his name in a tone that had him feeling both warm and anxious at the same time. Josh was so gentle with him right now, treating him like he was something breakable and... that was wrong.

He was the one who was supposed to take care of Josh, not the other way around. He had to be stronger than this, he had to.

For Josh's sake.

Another smile curled on Chris' lips, this one smaller and more careful than the one from before. "I'm fine. We'll be fine." He murmured quietly, turning to stare back into the fire. "It's fine, it's all going to be fine."

Fine was a word that Josh recognized. Fine meant that things were not great or good, but not bad or awful. Whatever mood Chris was in, Josh did not think it to be fine. Yet there was nothing he could do. No amount of cuddling or meat would make Chris fine. His human would have to return to fine on his own. Without Josh helping him.

It was a feeling of powerlessness that Josh hated even more then the one that came from the loss of his abilities. The knowledge that something was wrong with Chris and there was nothing he could do to help. What he had thought would bring a smile had only served to bring about a more concerning change and Josh was beginning to fear for his human. 

He did not want to lose him. He had already agreed not to leave him, yet if his human became unwell then he would be given no choice. He would have to return him to the other humans so that they could fix him. But the question was would they give Chris back to him when he was healed? Or, more terrifying, would Chris want to return? 

He had become so used to caring for his human that he did not think it possible to think of a time when Chris would not be there. Chris was warmth and comfort and something else that Josh still could not place. Josh was not sure if he would be able to exist without Chris there to meet him when he returned from the hunt or to ease the visions he had in his sleep with his gentle, calming words. 

Unaware of the fact that his fingers had tightened their hold, he shifted in closer, nuzzling his face in an almost cat-like manner under the other's chin. "...Chris..."

Chris released a wounded noise from the back of his throat, fingers trembling slightly as he reached over and wrapped his arm around Josh, holding him closer. 

He was so terrified.

So afraid that this was just another dream, another vision caused by the lack of medication and isolation and he'd find himself hugging a rock or something like that instead of the warm body of his friend.

So afraid he was imagining Josh speaking to him, that he had finally snapped and they would both fall when he was not strong enough to keep them up.

"Josh. I don't know what to feel anymore." The blond choked out. "I'm happy, I am, god you remember me... but I'm also so terrified and insecure and-- what is happening to me?"

Something about Chris at that moment made Josh suddenly feel a sense of deja vu. As if those last couple of words were something that had been said in a past life time of his. The weakness that his human was showing was far too known and the embrace far too familiar. Yet there was something different about it. As if there was one key element to it that had changed.

It took Josh a moment to realize that the position was wrong. That those words must have been uttered by Josh to Chris. That the one being clung to was the blond and not him. The feelings that Chris was suffering with now had once been his own. 

For a brief and horrible moment Josh thought perhaps he taken those feelings and given them to Chris, but that thought was quickly forced away. It was impossible. Josh could not do that. He would not want to even if he could. 

Still, the brief memory spark was enough for him to know what to do in this situation. Slowly, he pulled his hand from Chris' chest, arms moving to slowly wrap around the shaking body. Keeping his claws away from Chris skin he gently, or as gently as he could given his strength, began to rub his humans back in calm, soothing circles. 

His voice mimicked the tone Chris often took when soothing him after his night visions, nuzzling him gently as he repeated the blonde's name, occasionally adding a gibberish word that Josh thought sounded pleasing into the mix. He would be there for Chris. He would support him through whatever it was that he was going through despite not understanding why it was happening. 

Chris melted against Josh, there was no other word to describe the way his body just slumped in the brunette's arms. The comforting action was both soothing and achingly familiar, causing another sob to be torn from his lips. His shoulders shook and he hiccuped, trying to keep the emotions in bay.

This was not the time to be weak, he could do that after they were out of this Hell. For now he had to be there for Josh.

But it was hard to stay strong at a moment like this, and Chris found himself fighting a losing battle as he finally broke and released nearly two months worth of pain, despair and suffering in choked sobs and salty tears. 

He didn't hesitate to cling on Josh, nor did he care that he got tears and snot on the other's already ruined shirt. He feared his heart would stop beating at any moment, feeling his chest tighten until it felt painful and he swayed on his feet, slumping against the other crying.

Josh absolutely despised the sight of his human in such an utter state of despair and the knowledge that he could do nothing more then hold onto him as tears spilled down the blond man's dirt covered cheeks. Something in his mind screamed out that this was wrong. That Chris had not always been like this and it was Josh's fault that he was. That somewhere in his past, in a spot that he did not yet remembered, he had hurt Chris in a way that had left him broken. 

The young man's body weighed nothing to Josh and while he did not mind supporting the body of the other male he could feel Chris swaying. Awkwardly, afraid to put too much distance between them, he pulled the blond down so they were sitting upon the ground in a position that somewhat mirrored the one they had been in while standing. Josh could feel his knees bend in an uncomfortable angle but he ignored it. Chris' comfort was what was important right now. Chris was what was important right now. 

"Chris. Chris. Os fibe. Chris. Ey mont jeabe. Chris. Chris. Chris. O'n ire. Awlays ire. Chris. Chris." The words were spoken so gently they surprised even him. This tone was something completely new to today, a sharp cry from the playful, sad, or angry tones he had taken before. He was trying so hard to speak actual words. To give Chris something to find joy in. "Chris gine." Josh added gently, hoping maybe the human would realize and understand.

He had never thought his name sounded as good as when it was spoken to him so gently, nearly lovingly by the one person he cared for. The one he had done this for. Combined with the words Josh was trying to speak out as well, Chris couldn't help but release a broken laugh, burying his face against Josh's chest.

Gine. Josh had spoken out the word again that he thought was the brunette's way of saying 'mine'. Because 'Chris gone' did not make sense, and the way Josh held him made it clear he didn't want him to go.

"Mine." The blond echoed closing his eyes exhausted, tears stinging his eyes, leaving a burning trail on the broken skin as they slid down his cheek. "Josh, mine."

Chris understood! He understood even though the word was not the same as the correct one said by his human. How strange that while Josh could create those sounds and understood that word that he would not be able to say it. In time, perhaps 'gine' would shift into 'mine', when Josh's brain was able to process meaning and sound at the same time like it did with Chris' name. Yet a part of him did not want that. There was something special about this word he had created. The first word that Chris had understood the meaning behind. 'Gine' was their word. 

Letting out a contented sigh against the younger man's skin, Josh nodded his head in agreement to the words spoken by his human. "Gine." The healing Wendigo reassured. He was Chris' just as Chris was his. He would not argue that. There was no need when such a fact was as obvious as the rather nicely shaped nose upon his human's face. 

Lifting his head away from Chris' neck, he was hit with an impulse to press their foreheads together. To look into the other's eyes and allow Chris to look into his own. Moving in slowly so as to not startle the emotional blond, he did just that, not even caring when he was met with closed eyelids instead of blue circles surrounded by white. The other looked exhausted.

"Sleap." Gently pulling the blond over to the makeshift bed that he had been using, Josh draped them both in the old blanket that he had found before laying them both down. "Sleap Chris."

Sleep sounded good, as long as Josh would remain by his side. Luckily that seemed to be the case as the brunette laid down with him, and the blond wasted no time in curling right beside the older boy. Day by day Josh's body had started to return to the normal body warmth, and at a moment like this he was more than thankful for that. 

The warmth of the other and the blanket cocooned him in a ball of security and comfort, and in mere minutes the blond had drifted off, exhausted and drained from the breakdown.

It'd be all better tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

It did get better.

After the initial breakdown Chris had lifted himself back with Josh's help, and while his smile might have been weaker than usually, he still carried himself with new kind of determination.

Josh just kept changing. Days passed, and with each day Josh either remembered or copied a simple word he had heard. It was a lot like a toddler learning to speak, the brunette picking up things like "meat, Chris, sleep, sad" and so on. And of course, there was the word "gine", that for some reason remained like that despite Chris teaching him how to say the word correctly.

Surprisingly, he did not mind it.

Yes, Josh was changing, but it still took him by surprise when the brunette returned from the day's hunt and instead of carrying an elk with him, he brought back couple of rabbits and actual vegetables from the mountain. Chris was not fond of green things, but right now the change seemed like a gift from heaven.

"I see even you got tired of eating elk all the time." He grinned a bit, throwing couple of more sticks into the fire he had kept going on.

"Elk bad." Came the response after a couple of long moments of Josh warming by the fire. "Want...ed... new." He had needed to pause to contemplate the word wanted, having only recently learned that words changed based on when they happened. He still struggled to remember it sometimes, but he was doing better. A lot better.

Picking up one of the vegetables he handed it to Chris with a pleased looking nod. "Is good. I eated?" The words came out more as a sentence then a statement, Josh unsure what the past tense of eat was. He continued on, patting his stomach. "No sick."

"You ate." Chris corrected him nearly automatically, having become used to teaching Josh the correct grammar when needed. The vegetable looked weird, kind of like a carrot but much browner and shorter than a regular carrot. If Josh hadn't got sick from eating it, then it should be good, right?

"I... ate." Josh said, correcting his mistake and repeating the word that Chris had just said, then repeating the word out loud five times to commit it to memory and get a feeling for it on his tongue. The trick was something that he had picked up on his own with little explanation as to how, much like how he had remembered Chris' name or the fact that he had sisters. It had proven to be useful the initial time he had done it so he continued with it. 

Contented that he had the word memorized, he slid away from the fire to go slip under the blanket that they had come to share during the nights laying down as a strange feeling of tiredness hit him from out of nowhere. Sudden bouts of listlessness and anxiety were sprouting up all the time, making the already difficult situation all the more troublesome. There were days when Josh needed to go out to hunt but simply could not pull himself from the covers until he heard Chris growing restless. 

Something about it made him scared. Like whatever it was that was resurfacing in his mind was something he didn't want coming back. That while the loss of his teeth, tough skin and cold resistance had been hindrances, should this aspect of himself return it would be absolutely crippling. 

Pulling the covers around himself tighter, the partial wendigo let out a small whine into the fabric. "Bad. No want."

Chris however, had already picked up on Josh's changing behavior and it both concerned and gave the blond man hope. Because in other way, it meant that Josh's mind was returning to the way it had used to be, that the man-turned-wendigo was starting to gain back his human characteristics. In other way, it also meant that the sight he was seeing right now meant that Josh was getting depressed again. He knew that look in the other's eyes, he knew the body language well enough to know what was going on with Josh. 

It wasn't the first time he had seen Josh during one of his episodes. 

Making sure the fire would remain lit for the duration of time, Chris made his way over to Josh and sat beside the other male. Normally he would hold Josh close, and talk to him about random things; the weather, the latest movie, the teacher he hated. Anything to get Josh's mind away from his current mood. But this time it would be more challenging-- while Josh understood words here and there, he couldn't be sure they would help Josh this time. 

"I don't even know if you can understand me right now." Chris sighed, pulling his knees against his chest exhausted. "But I used to do this a lot when you had bad days. Talk about random things, or making you work on some silly little project to keep you occupied. Down here, I'm afraid we don't have much options so we need to stick with the talking. You know, I used to be scared of you before I even knew you." 

A tiny smile quirked on Chris' lips. 

"You were this kid in the back of the class, and those people were always known from causing trouble. I didn't know anything about you but your name, but I heard people talk how you could be really scary at times and naturally it scared the heck out of me, especially when I was thrown to the sharks and moved to sit right beside you. I nearly dropped my pen, and kept thinking that I would do something wrong that would make you mad but... instead you just turned around, stuck out your hand and told me your name was Josh." 

This time, the blond laughed. 

"And you kept asking me so many weird questions, man. If I knew your surname, or your parents, or what movies I watched. Back then I didn't realize you were testing me to see if I were a gold digger, hoping to get to your good book in hopes I'd get money or fame. When you realized that wasn't the case, you gave me the first genuine smile ever and I think that was the moment I realized I was lost."

"Lawst? Chris ire." Patting the ground, Josh's confusion over the statement was clear. How could Chris say he was lost when he clearly was right there? It did not make sense. It was almost as if Chris was implying that he had been lost in Josh, which was impossible. Josh was not a place. He was... a person? Yes. A person. Not Wendigo anymore certainly.

"It's a saying." Chris chuckled as Josh voiced out his confusion the best he could. 

"Saying you're lost because of someone, or for someone, is like..." The blond trailed off, shrugging his shoulders lightly yet was unable to keep himself from smiling. "It's that moment you know you've found someone you're never going to leave again."

Josh was absolutely beaming. That was the only way to describe the bright smile like expression that taken over his features at the confession that Chris never wanted to leave him. The blond had always been his human. Even before Josh was aware of it. 

A strange urge hit him at that moment. The urge to press his mouth to that of his humans. It was a urge that seemed painfully familiar but nothing in his limited memories gave him any indication as to why. Shaking that urge off as nothing but a weird impulse, Josh instead opted to nuzzle his cheek against Chris' knee, much in the same manner a cat would. 

"Chris gine. All... ways gine." Always. Combine all with way but with the sound that made way more then one. Pleased with this, Josh continued on to softly tap himself with a clawed finger before gently tapping Chris' chest. "Josh lawst. All ways Chris...ses." Again, there was some difficulty there, possessive 's were much like past tense in that Josh didn't fully understand how they worked, but he was learning. 

Speaking of learning, 'lost' was one he really should know. "Say... again. Lawst?" Say again had become Josh's way of requesting Chris help him learn a particular word. Chris would repeat it until Josh understood how to form the word, before repeating it back five times to confirm he had it.

"Lawst sounds absolutely adorable, but no." Chris chuckled shaking his head fondly, relaxing under the gentle touch of his friend's hand as his own arm slid around Josh more out of instinct than anything else. 

"Lost. L-O-S-T." He repeated slowly, turning his head to look at Josh smiling. "Lost also means when you are in danger of losing your way in an environment you are not familiar with. Like what happened to me during my second week here. That was me getting lost." 

Of course, the reminder of that day several weeks ago put a quick damper on Josh's mood and the smile on his face quickly turned into a troubled frown at the memory. Chris had been lost back then. He had gone to the elevator without actually knowing where it would take him. Or what it would do had it been working.

Josh had not known this at the time. He had thought the blond had been abandoning him. Leaving him alone in the mines after making him dependent on the company he provided. Grown tired of Josh and wanted to return to his human world and human friends. 

Josh had thought Chris had been trying to leave him.

He had been furious true, but more then that he had been sad. Sad to lose his source of comfort. Sad to lose his 'home'. So he had lashed out at Chris, violently digging his claws into the blonde's flesh as he had dragged him back to their makeshift den and had proceeded to snarl at the younger man until Chris reassured him over and over again that he had not been trying to leave. 

With a shocking amount of gentleness, his hand went to run over the area where he had wounded his human, a surge of concern and guilt flashing through his dark green eyes. "...Josh sorry. No want hurt. Scared."

"I know." Chris replied softly, trying his best not to flinch under the gentle touch. The wounds had bled for days, leaving him immobile for the good portion of the week as he had to allow them to close on his own. He could not reach them, and that Josh back then didn't know anything about health care. Luckily, the wounds had not got infected which saved him from a lot of pain. 

Still, the wounds would scar over just like the others Josh's had inflicted on him without meaning to, and honestly he could not blame Josh from them. 

"I'm okay, they don't hurt anymore." He added giving the other a tiny smile of reassurance.

The fact that they didn't hurt now offered Josh little reassurance, but the knowledge that Chris understood Josh's feeling at the time meant more then enough to have him relax once more. Letting out a small sigh, the partial Wendigo pulled his hand away, instead replacing it with his head as he curled in beside his human. 

"Chris gine. Josh Chris-ses. Happy." The words were soft, hinting that the brunette had grown contented and sleepy over the course of their discussion. While it wasn't the depressed tiredness that he had shown earlier it was still a change from his usual behavior, much more a human response to this kind of emotional exchange. Josh understood what they had been talking about. He understood the impact of his actions and he felt guilt, but he was also able to forgive himself for hurting the other.

"Chris yours." The blond replied softly, the words probably meaning a lot more to him than to Josh. Josh saw him as a friend, as a companion and someone he could trust. Chris saw Josh not only as a friend, but something more as well. Something closer, deeper, something that had made Chris run back to Josh without a moment of hesitation. 

Something he wasn't quite sure how he felt about. 

His arm tightened its hold of Josh's body, holding the other close as the brunette started to drift off. "...Josh mine. I won't let anything happen to you anymore. Rest well, I'll watch over you." He promised tenderly, lips brushing against Josh's forehead ever so gently. 

His lips tasted like sweat and dirt afterwards, but it was a silent promise both to himself and to Josh.

***

The next two weeks passed far slower then the others before them most in part to the growing consciousness of Josh. Words and disjointed comments had turned into actual full sentences that while still a bit short, actually held structure and clear understanding of what he was saying. What had once been a feral mind had turned into the thoughtful, curious one of a small child. It was not just Chris who spoke now, but Josh as well, telling stories about his hunts and ventures outside.

Josh was more human now than he was a Wendigo.

Memories of his past life were returning, coming in flashes that often had him feeling unsettled and unhappy. The depression grew stronger, but the necessity to care for not only himself but Chris as well. His human was not well, a fact that Josh had been able to finally understand while observing the younger man one night while the other cooked. While he did not seem physically sick, there was a dullness in his actions and an unsettling glazed look in his eyes that filled Josh with worry. 

He had begun fearing leaving Chris alone. Not because of his own loneliness, but because of the fact that he often returned to find the other male curled up in the blankets, shivering and highly unsettled. 

Using the tactics that Chris had been using with him, Josh tried to keep the other's mind occupied with other things, yet there was no denying that there were some subjects that the partially healed Wendigo wanted desperately to ask about. Subjects that up until this point he had feared bringing up. The memories had become too strong for him to remain silent, however, and that was the reason why he had decided to finally push for answers.

Slinking over to where Chris currently lay curled up under the blanket, Josh gently nudged his shoulder in an attempt to get the tech loving man's attention. "Chris...? I want to talk. I have questions. I need answers. Please." The tone was pleading, but also apologetic for bothering the younger man during one of his moments with something as serious as his questions.

Resisting the urge to bury himself under the blankets and ignoring the brunette completely, Chris rolled over on his back instead to show Josh that he was paying attention to the other's words. Not that he wanted to. God no, with Josh's growing vocabulary he had started to talk about his memories, his dreams and asked questions that were too painful to respond to, yet the blond did his best to make Josh happy.

He was glad to have Josh back, but the price that came with it was high for Chris to pay.

"Okay... okay, what do you want to know?" The blond asked running his fingers down his face exhausted.

"I had sisters. I see them in dreams. Hannah and Beth. What are they like? Why did they not look for me too?" Josh asked, deciding that the existence and whereabouts of his siblings would be a good, easy place to start. They certainly had seemed friendly with Chris in his memories after all.

There was a long pause after the question, Josh debating whether or not he should add the next part of it in. There was an unpleasantness to that part of the question that made him fearful of what the answer might be or the reaction that Chris might give him. Still, he needed to know. "Why am I sad when I think of them?"

Chris involuntarily tensed at the question, releasing a shaky breath after a while. "Figures you would ask about them." He muttered shaking his head, contemplating if he could get away without answering the question. Josh had the right to know, but there were some things that were best to be forgotten-- if only for the brunette's mental sanity.

God knew Chris was losing his own.

"They're gone." He finally replied. "They passed away a year ago."

More memories began to surface. A year spent in misery. A feeling of indescribable loneliness and emptiness so similar to what he saw in Chris right now. Feeling ill and angry and hateful. All because... because of...

"A... prank... they died because... one of them ran off into the woods. They... died here. In the mines." It made sense. It explained so much as to why he could not bring himself to touch that one human head that was left. How looking at it made him scared and upset to the point of avoiding it at all costs. "The head is... Beth's... and Hannah... was like me." Josh mumbled, swallowing thickly. 

This was no good. Josh was becoming upset now too and that had not been the intention. Yet now that it was out there was nothing more he could do. He had ruined the chance to keep his questions innocent and now he was being bombarded with memories faster then he could process them. Shaking his head, he brought his own clawed hands to cover his ears and grip his hair, shuddering as he closed his eyes tight. 

He needed to control himself. He needed to ask his questions. He needed to understand who he was and why he became like this.

Biting harshly into the side of his cheek, the coppery taste of blood was a good way to turn his mind away from the memories and back to the present, his green eyes snapping open. "Was there... something wrong with me? In my... my brain? Something went wrong after they... died, right? A bad part came out?"

"No, you suffered. It wasn't your fault." Chris replied simply with a tiny shrug of his shoulders, refusing to meet Josh's eyes. "Let's just leave it at that, okay? No digging deeper, I don't want to answer any more questions about this."

Chris' answer did not help him and the way the blond refused to answer further questions brought a frown to Josh's lips. "Not okay. Not okay at all! I want to know! I need to know! Who was I? Why am I this way? Why am I in the mines?" Pushing out question after question, Josh watched the younger man with a growing sense of desperation. 

Chris would not answer his questions. 

He would have to find the answers on his own.

Pulling away, Josh hesitated for a long moment, fearing the idea of leaving Chris alone. Yet if he could not get his answers from Chris, then perhaps he would be able to find them in the human buildings scattered around the mountain. "...sleep. I... will come back soon. I need to find answers... just... remember. Chris is gine. And Josh is Chris's." 

Unsure if those words will offer the blond much comfort at this point, Josh turned away, feeling more lost now then he had before the questions had even been asked.

 

***

Chris was not sure how long he remained in the mines alone. Minutes dragged on to hours, yet Chris did not leave his place from the dirty blankets. He didn't have the energy to do so, even when the fire died out and left him shivering in the darkness.

Would Josh even return?

Would he find the answers to his questions and if yes... how could he be sure it would not break his friend completely?

If Josh did return, how could he be sure that the Josh who returned would be the same that had left?

The thoughts were troubling enough to have Chris sobbing in the blankets, eyes stinging from dirt and tears. If his months of work were to be destroyed by the possible answers Josh would find, he wasn't sure he could handle it.


	7. Chapter 7

Every place that Josh visited brought more questions than it did answers. Starting at the place that reeked of Wendigo, Josh explored the building in search of clues as to how he became what he had. What he encountered there were papers he could not read, empty cells, and a long abandoned camp. Not to mention a pack of wolves that seemed both agitated and confused by his presence. There had been no time to collect anything there before the animals chased him away, Josh hardly in the mood to fight with the beasts.

The old hotel came next and it offered it him nothing aside from signs that people had passed through it at some point relatively recently. 

A passage led him from the hotel to the charred remains of a large, impressive building, and it is here that he found the most clues. While much of it had been destroyed there were still some things that had managed to survive, including a collection of photo books that held pictures of his sisters. Flipping through them, he realized that several of their contents were missing. Further searching lead him to what looked to be the remnants of several strange devices. Devices he found familiar in a way that brought him pride but also great regret. 

He had built them, he realized as he examined a metal saw that seemed to be covered in viscera of some animal Josh did not know. No, did not remember. He had known once. A memory shot through his mind. A screaming girl beside him. Chris standing there with eyes filled with fear. Shaking his head, he frowned and continued on with his search, taking the photo booklets with him as he headed towards a shed nearby. 

The stench of death hung in the air and he quickly realized that someone had died there. Killed fighting one of his former kin if the burnt remains of the trees nearby could be considered a hint. He had hated fire as a Wendigo. It had been the only thing to bring him pain. 

Inside the shed he was hit with a burst of very unpleasant memories. Chris and another young man tying him up. Anger, pain, betrayal. A gun pointed at him that Chris had knocked away. A madness in his mind that warped into fear when he found himself alone. Fear that turned into outright terror as a beast pulled him from the post and dragged him away. Hannah. The beast had been Hannah. 

Clenching the photos tighter to his chest he moved away from that horrible place, towards another one of the human buildings. Smaller then the others this one had a door with a broken window that allowed him to see inside. Stepping past the bright yellow tape that fluttered softly in the wind he entered the building. He had no memories here, yet as he spotted a photo of Hannah upon a desk in the corner he knew he had placed this here for a reason. The bed was unslept in and another of the windows was broken in the hall. 

He dropped the photograph books down on the bed and sat down, burying his head in his hands as he tried to sort through his memories and feelings. There was so much that it was hard for him to grasp them. It was at that moment that he caught sight of a large raven resting upon a section of the scattered windowsill, a paper clenched in its beak, beady eyes watching Josh as if it expected him to take the paper. 

So he did. 

There was nothing upon it that Josh understood, but he knew that it was important. Knew that he needed to give it to Chris. That it could help them both. 

Passing one last glance upwards to find that the raven had vanished, he set out back into the mines, following his own trails back to the room where he had left Chris several hours before. The sight that greeted him tore at him in a way that made him regret leaving the blonde's side. Slumped into the blankets, his human was sobbing in what could only be considered hysterics, no doubt because of Josh's own actions.

"...Chris..." Stepping forward, the partial Wendigo slid down to sit beside the younger man, a clawed hand coming to rest upon Chris' shoulder. "Chris... I'm here. I'm back. I said I would come back. Don't cry..."

"Hey." Chris replied after a moment, shrugging Josh's hand off of his shoulder, not able to handle the touch right now. It felt like Josh's hand was burning through his shirt in a very unpleasant way, the clothes already scratching his skin in a very painful way.

"Did... Did you find what you were looking for?" He asked tugging his glasses off before wiping the tears from his eyes, only managing to irritate himself even further when he got dirt in his eyes.

"I found... something." Josh answered carefully, watching Chris as the other pulled away from his touch. This was wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong. The realization that his human needed the help that Josh could not provide him was stronger now than it ever was. He needed to get Chris back to the human world. Soon. 

The only problem was that Chris would not go willingly unless Josh went with him.

Pressing the note that he had been given into the younger man's hand, he looked at Chris expectantly. There was something about how he received that letter that told him what lie on it may be what he needed to save his human. Perhaps, it would even hold what Josh needed to save himself. 

"Read it. Please."

Confusion flashed in Chris' eyes as the paper was thrust into his hands, and he expected it to be an old receipt or maybe some random bill or something like that. Maybe it was just Melinda's old recipe. 

What he read instead had his breath hitching, widened eyes scanning through the words over and over again as if he expected the words to change every time he did so.

It had to be a joke.

A coincidence.

There was no way someone out there could help them. Could they? Who left out this note?

"Where did you find this? Josh, what happened up there? Did you find something from the lodge? Like this-- burnt building? Big building?" Chris asked urgently, his hand shaking as he stared at his friend pleadingly.

"I... didn't find it." Josh started weakly, clearly unsure of his answer but knowing that a lie might only make things worse. Chris had stressed the importance of Josh telling him the truth from the very beginning after all. "I was given it. By a large bird with black feathers. A raven. It appeared on the window at the small human home." 

Tentatively, he went on to explain what he had been doing while up on the surface. His trip to the Sanatorium and Hotel. Then the burnt remains of the Lodge where he found the book of photos and the remnants of the traps he knew he created. About the shed that smelled of death and was filled with memories he did not care for. Finally the trip to the guest cabin and his encounter with the raven. All of it spilled from his lips in hopes that maybe this information would help Chris in some way. 

"...Does that help you?" He asked, the double meaning behind his words clear as day. Swallowing thickly, Josh's green eyes darted to the letter in the other's shaking hands, wishing desperately that he could understand the contents.

"Not me." Chris denied immediately, the tiny spark of hope lighting in his chest and this time he did not stomp on it. _'The time found amongst the charred remains'_ had to mean the photo album, and the _'man who holds the memory of your past life'_ had to mean him. _'Follow the raven'_ had to mean the guest cabin.

"J-Josh, there's someone out there who can help you. Who maybe, just maybe, can give you back your humanity." The laugh that spilled from Chris' lips was filled with raw disbelief, the noise mixing with a desperate kind of sob.

"Someone can bring you back to me."

"Where is this person? How do we find them?" Shaking his head, Josh realized that right now what was important was getting out of the mines. This person would not come to them. They must seek them out. 

A clawed hand reached out to grab hold of the younger man's wrist, pulling Chris up from where he lay upon the ground, tugging him over to the backpack that had been gathering dust up until that moment. Picking the item up, he hesitated, eyes glancing around the room that had been their home for several months, before taking a deep breath and forcing the bag into the other's hand. "We need to go. While there is still light outside."

"The person is where you found the raven." Chris replied stumbling over on his feet, swaying slightly before he managed to catch his balance. The hope within him was growing with each second, threatening to choke him completely as he stared at Josh.

He had not left these mines in months. A part of him dreaded to leave the confined space, to step back into world that seemed too big, too loud for him. But Josh wanted them to leave, wanted to help himself and that was enough to give him the nudge needed to get himself moving.

"You have to lead the way outside."

There were many ways out of the mines but only one that Josh immediately thought of that would take them directly to where he had found the raven. After making sure that Chris had his bag over his shoulders, Josh reached out to take the younger man's hand within his own, clawed fingers intertwined with normal human ones. The grip was stronger like this and there was less a chance of accidentally letting go and losing the younger man. Not to mention that a part deep inside him reveled at the feelings of their fingers locked together in such a way. Strange.

The path through the mines was dark and fraught with many unpleasantness. Making sure to stay far away from the spot that held the head of his sister, Josh instead passed through tunnel after tunnel, carefully seeing to the blond as they made their way to the broken elevator. It was there that Josh released Chris' hand and knelt down, gesturing for Chris to climb onto his back. "I'll carry you up. Hold on tight to me." 

It might have seemed impossible a thing to suggest at that moment. The wall leading up was straight and offered very little in terms of places where a human hand would be able to grip. Yet Josh was not human and while his hands may not be what they had once been in thickness and his claws not what they had been in length, they were still more then enough for him to climb a dry wall such as this with ease, even with Chris' additional weight weighing him down.

"Are you sure?" Chris asked shocked, hesitating for a moment as he stared up at the wall. It was too steep for him to climb by himself and without gear, but to only be hanging from Josh as his friend would climb the wall was a rather terrifying thought. "Please don't drop me." The blond laughed nervously, throwing the bag over his back and tied it up properly before walking over to Josh.

Climbing on his back was surprisingly a struggle. Chris had not much strength left in his body, and the act of climbing and clutching on someone for his dear life scared him. Josh would have to focus on the climbing-- it was his own duty to hold on to Josh and not drop.

"I-I'm not sure I can do this." He muttered quietly against Josh's neck, burying his face against his friend's dirty hair.

A small smile graced his slightly scarred lips at the other's words and almost as if to show off his strength Josh stood with the blond in a single fluid motion. While his human's body itself certainly altered his balance, the weight was nothing compared to that of the elk he had been carrying back and forth for months now. Still, the fact that Chris weighed so little surprised him and brought a surge of concern for the younger man's health. He knew that Chris was not eating as much, but for it to affect his weight this much was terrifying.

The smile vanished and was replaced with a determined expression as his fingers buried themselves into the stone and dirt. "Just hold on. I will protect you. I won't let you fall. Chris is gine and I won't lose you." With those words said, he began to accent up the sheer wall before them, moving at a steady pace that was neither slow nor fast. The sooner they got up the better but jostling Chris too much would only serve to make the blond panic.

The biggest hurdle was not the climbing up the wall, but the turning he had to do in order to get onto the landing. Until normal circumstances Josh would have merely shifted himself so he was crawling horizontally, but with Chris he needed to actually remain vertical as he moved horizontally onto the platform, something that was made difficult due to the way the blonde's body tended to swing. 

Solid ground could not have come sooner and Josh wasted no time in making a quick dash away from the hole and through the mines, still carrying the blond as he passed through passages that were neither familiar nor unknown. It was only when light peered in from the entrance that he slowed to a stop, the clawed hands that had come to support the other's backside as he ran still lingering there as he hesitated. "...I can... still carry you. It might be faster."

"...I've fallen asleep, haven't I? I've frozen to death while waiting and I'm dreaming right now." 

Slipping back into a stand, Josh couldn't help the laughter that bubbled to his own lips, the sound shockingly human. Green eyes were filled with amusement as while Chris' reaction was not entirely pleasant it certainly was one he could understand. It was the first time that Chris was returning to the world above and he was doing so with Josh. With the knowledge that there was someone out there who could help them return Josh to how he had once been. 

"You aren't dead and you aren't dreaming. This is real." Josh said with a strange sense of clarity, his fingers tightening their hold once more before he set off again, dashing out into the cold at a speed that would rival the fastest of men. The sound of Chris' backpack jostling behind him, the snow crunching under his feet and the wind blowing through his hair filled him with a surge of joy he couldn't really describe. They were free of those dark days in the mines. Free of the stench of dirt and tears and blood. They were free, but most importantly, they were together.

Josh's joy spurred him forward at breakneck speeds, darting through the woods towards the cabin where the person who could help them was supposed to be waiting. While one may have thought that his speed would have been lost during the transition it still remained, for the speed and the strength were one in the same. Josh moved fast because he had the power behind his strides to do so and that power had remained through all the other changes.

Thank goodness for it too, as sun still had a good hour or two in the sky before it disappeared for the night by the time they reached the cabin. Once more slowing to a stop, Josh gently released his hold on Chris as they set foot upon the wooden porch, his eyes darting around in search of the person who was supposed to meet them but finding no one. 

"Maybe... inside...?" He whispered, though his voice was filled with doubt even as he entered the building, allowing Chris the chance to recover as he searched. Returning to the bedroom, he found everything just as he had left it, the photo books untouched. 

His shoulders slumped as a wave of sadness welled in him, his fingers picking up the books as he returned to the porch and Chris, eyes downcast. His posture said the words that he could not.

No one was there.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Shaman's letter:
> 
> "To the ones who wish an end to the curse I offer my aid.
> 
> Bring with you the item found amongst the charred remains and the man who holds the memory of your past life and follow the raven from the place where you received this note. 
> 
> There is still hope for your humanity yet."

"There's... there's gotta be an explanation for this." Chris said weakly, pushing past Josh into the empty cabin. No, no no no this could not be true. The blond searched through every tiny room with a sense of urgency and desperation, his heart plummeting somewhere deep in his stomach as he had to face the truth.

No one was in the cabin.

"I thought... the note... it..." Chris choked out, his expression one of anguish as he slid on the dusty couch and buried his face in his hands. 

He had thought, he had hoped that someone had been there for them. Had been willing to help, knew _how_ to help them. Instead there was nothing but emptiness and darkness and it took over the blond quickly as he drowned under the despair.

This couldn't be happening. They had been so close! There had to be something they were missing. A mistake must have been made of some kind. There had to be a reason why nobody was there.

The sound of fluttering wings and a sharp, impatient tap of beak against wood drew Josh's attention away from the man currently sitting upon the couch and back towards the porch. 

Stepping outside, Josh was met with the sight of the same bird he had seen before. The intelligent dark eyes watched him as he watched it, wings flapping as it jerked its head in a gesture that was almost reminiscent of the ones Josh used in order to get Chris to follow him. Follow. It wanted them to follow it! That was their mistake! They weren't meeting the person to help them here but the raven! The raven would lead the way.

Josh hurried back inside, fingers pulling at Chris' backpack as he shoved the photo books inside and zipped it up in the manner he had seen Chris do several times before. "Get up! We have to go! We have to follow the raven! Chris get up!" Urging the younger man on, Josh leapt over the couch and grabbed hold of the other's wrist, pulling with just enough strength to drag the younger man off the couch and back outside.

The raven let out a caw, wings flapping as it lifted itself into the air and took off towards the forest.

Josh ducked down and lifted Chris up into his arms, bag and all, and immediately gave chase after it. 

Carrying Chris this way was different from how he had carried the blond earlier. The blond barely had enough time to grab hold of the bag that now rested on his stomach before Josh took off and the need to actually hold it left Josh as the only one keeping the blond from falling. Yet his grip was strong and protective and Josh avoided the paths that were too thin to comfortably get Chris' legs through even if he did nearly lose sight of the raven several times because of it. Thankfully, his pace was slower and therefor it was much easier to maneuver about and the raven was kind enough to circle overhead if it thought that Josh had lost sight of it.

The journey was much longer then the one to the cabin, leading the pair a good ways down the mountain until they came to the outskirts of what looked like a small Native American village of sorts that seemed long abandoned. If not for the light coming from the large building in the center he would have thought that nobody could ever be there. Watching as the raven disappeared through a small hole in the birchwood near the top, Josh's pace slowed to a cautious walk. 

He didn't like it here. No. Something inside of him didn't like it here. Something that snarled and tore at Josh from the inside as he passed symbols written into the trees. Wards to keep beast like him away. Subconsciously, his grip on Chris tightened.

"We've visited the lodge for years... how come we never knew about this place?" Chris asked slightly out of breath from the run, even if he himself had not been moving. But everything had happened so fast that he was still trying to figure out just what exactly had happened.

The tight grip around him tore a quiet wince from the blond's lips, the squeeze too tight to be comfortable and he wriggled slightly before touching Josh's arm lightly. "Josh, it's alright. They... have to be here, right? They're here to help." Chris said quietly.

His gaze drifted to the building, and he buried his face against Josh's chest briefly before nodding his head. "Put me down, we should go there. Whoever is inside that house they're clearly expecting us."

Josh's hand immediately went to grab Chris', still seeking the comfort of the younger man's touch as they moved together towards the building in the center of the abandoned tribal camp. It wasn't hard to see why they wouldn't have known about it. The location was a good deal farther down the mountain then the mines and it was on the opposite side from the cable car, hidden away under the trees where nobody could see it. How their mysterious helper knew of its existence was a mystery. 

Trust mysterious people to be mysterious he supposed.

The scent of old wood and incense immediately hit his nostrils as they entered the building, causing Josh to let out a sneeze and cough as his eyes scanned what had probably been a tribal hall for the native tribe. What had once been a magnificent place filled with culture was now an empty shell of what it once had been, stripped of all the things that had filled it with life save for the wooden 'benches' that circled the central fire pit. A lit fire pit. With a person sitting beside it.

Playing Flappy Bird on her IPad.

Warily, Josh released Chris hand and drew closer to the woman, noting the fact that she hardly looked like the type who one would expect in such a location. She was old, really old judging from the fact her hair was as white as the snow outside and how the wrinkles had caused her face to droop to the point where Josh couldn't even make out her eyes. She was clad in a thick coat with a fur lined hood, but the material hardly resembled anything Cree in nature suggesting that she had purchased it from a store instead of making it herself. The woman's pants were thick and warm, her boots designed not for tribal ceremony but for hiking through the woods. 

Yet there was something about her that told him that she was the one who had sent the message. 

She was definitely not someone Chris had expected to find in the house. His mind had conjured up several possible images for the person who had sent them the note, but finding a woman whose aura reeked of ancient power dressed in clothes you could find from freaking Tesco was not something he had expected.

Glancing at Josh briefly, he offered the other a shrug of his shoulers before stepping closer slowly. "Uh... hi? I'm assuming you sent the raven?" He asked carefully, gaze flicking over to the said raven when it released a noise from one of the tall pillars that looked like they could be parts of totems.

The paint had chipped off from most of them, but Chris could still make out colors of black and white, red and yellow, even brown in some of them. 

"...What is this place?"

The woman remained silent for a moment as her concentration was on her game, only acknowledging Chris and Josh's presence once she released the IPad with a soft 'Bah!' of annoyance, dropping the device to the spot next to her as she looked up at the two young men. Stepping in slowly, her old, thin fingers came to examine the Wendigo possessed youth before her, expression unreadable as she examined him much to Josh's obvious discomfort. Finally, after a long time, she pulled away and nodded to herself.

"Good enough. He's more human than Wendigo now at least. I trust that you brought the things I asked for?" Her gaze watched Josh as he nodded and gestured towards Chris' bag, her lips parting into a wrinkled smile as she held out her hand towards Chris expectantly, who handed her the bag quickly. 

The woman's gaze turned back towards Josh now, once more taking in the sight of him, particularly the claws upon his hands. "I must admit, it has been some time since last this ceremony was preformed. You should consider yourself lucky that I am still alive to do it and that your pretty friend thought to seek me out when she did or this might have been impossible." When finally the books were placed within her hands she turned towards the both of them with a soft frown upon her face.

"Know this. There will be no reversing the physical changes that remain. Those claws and the strength will not go away. What I do here is for his mind and spirit only, and trust me when I say that it is not an easy transition. There will be pain, both physical and mental, but once the Wendigo spirit is gone the healing will be immediate and any faults of the mind that existed prior to the possession will return alongside his memories. It is up to you both to decide whether it is worth it or not."

"H-Hold on a moment." Chris begged trying to sort through the tumble of information that had been given to him in one blurp.

"A friend contacted you? A pretty friend?" He repeated with a small frown, his mind slow in piecing up the information given before his eyes widened briefly. Surely she wasn't talking about _their_ friends, was she? The only person he could think about whom would be capable and admittedly smart enough to do something like this was Sam. 

He did not have much time to dwell on the joy or disbelief the news brought him, before he was forced to think about the other part of her words.

Chris turned to look at Josh worriedly, not quite sure what to feel about the information. "You mean he won't remember the past three months? He won't remember what I did for him, what I sacrificed for him or how I fought to get him back?" He asked quietly, the thought causing a lump to form in his throat.

Josh would never know what he had gone through for him. He'd be forced to live with those memories alone.

But it would bring Josh back to him, to them all.

"Fuck..." The blond sunk back against the wall, shaking his head miserably. "Fuck!"

Folding her arms over her chest, the woman seemed to have no patience for Chris' outburst in the slightest. "You're putting words in my mouth boy. I said nothing of his current memories. I merely said that when the ceremony is complete his mind will return to what it had been and the memories of his past self will return." Letting out a small sigh, the woman's shoulders slumped slightly. "You... are not entirely wrong however."

Unfolding her arms, the woman fetched the IPad from where she had left it, pulling up the email despite knowing that there is no actual signal so far out in the wilderness. Sam's email address lie on the screen, waiting for a message about the fate of the two boys who now stood before her. Slowly, she typed out the start of her message, informing the girl that the two men were at least alive before continuing on with her explanation. 

"There are things that are better left forgotten. The fact that one ate another human's flesh is one of them. Yet there will still be remnants of his memories of your time here. Feelings related to certain activities, words that might have held importance during your time together, those will not leave him. He may not remember exactly what happened but he will remember that you were there with him through it in the feelings he has when you are present." 

As the woman spoke, Josh moved to sit himself beside the younger man, a clawed hand gently coming to rest upon Chris' shoulder. "Chris... it will be okay. I'm yours and you are gine." With a great amount of tenderness he slowly lifted the younger man's chin to face him. "You are sick. You need to go home. Get help. I... want to go with you. I want to be human with you. Isn't that what you wanted too?" 

That had been the reason that Chris had come down to the mines, right? The reason why he risked his life to find Josh and stayed with him this long. He hated to think that the memories of the past months would leave him to be replaced by other less pleasant memories, but he would give them up if it meant that he could create new memories in the future. They would always have 'gine' in spirit after all.

"You should not be worrying about me." Chris replied quietly, unable to tear his gaze away from Josh. "What I did, I did for you. The thought of you not remembering all of it pains me, but I'll do whatever it takes to get that monster out of you. So that I can have you back as whole."

Maybe it would be for the best this way. Maybe it was his turn to carry the guilt, the weight of the past months-- if only to ease Josh's own suffering. The younger man's body was breaking, mind ready to collapse at any moment but they were still not out in the clear. They still had to get the Wendigo spirit out of Josh.

Smiling carefully, the blond relished on the gentle touch for couple of more seconds before turning to look at the woman. "What do we need to do?"

"Follow me. I have prepared everything for the ritual already. We need only his presence, these books and you to begin." Setting down her IPad once more, the woman turned to lead the pair out of the building and towards a much smaller, more isolated one. 

The second they stepped within fifteen feet of this new building Josh instinctively pulled away, the beast in him violently trying to run from whatever lie inside. The closer they drew, the more anxious Josh became, until finally they came to a stand what had probably been the village's shaman's home. The building was heavily decorated with various items that Josh could feel the animal inside him recoiling at, drawing a whimper from his mouth as his very soul was attacked by the Wendigo inside, desperate to flee from here. 

The woman began placing the photos over the room, setting them in specific locations, always making sure that Josh was in there. It was not the normal items she would have used, but so long as Josh's presence was strong enough then they would work. Setting the book aside once she had finished, the woman reached for what appeared to be some kind of paint that had been created in a large wooden mortar. Skipping over Josh, she instead brought her fingers into the substance and firmly drew several lines over Chris' skin, only to repeat the same pattern upon her own. "To prevent the spirit from attempting to claim us as new hosts once it is free." She explained, before turning to Josh.

The second the substance hit his face a sharp hiss escaped his lips, eyes narrowing as the beast reared up, only for his human side to fight it back down. The markings on his skin were different, more detailed and intense then those upon her own face or Chris', no doubt because he was the one who held the spirit within him. Ushered to the center of the room, the woman offered gentle words of comfort to him as she made him sit down upon his knees with his hands behind him, binding them together with a rope made out a material that left Josh feeling drained of strength upon contact. 

With Josh sitting down, she gestured for Chris to take a spot roughly five feet away, sitting there face to face with the bound partial Wendigo. The position he was to take was similar to Josh's minus the binding of his hands, which were to remain folded against his lap at all times. 

"You absolutely must remain in this position. You cannot touch him. You cannot look away from him. You are his anchor and it is through your eyes that he will regain his humanity." She said softly, squeezing the boys shoulder softly. From her expression, it was obvious that she expected this to be a difficult task for Chris.

Chris had to bite back a whimper of his own at the words. The paint was cold and sticky against his skin, and he felt chilled in a way that even the flames from the fire could not chase it away. In front of him he could see the wildness take hold of Josh, threatening to return the man in the same state he had first found his friend in.

Close to being a monster, with barely no humanity left.

Chris felt drained, he felt exhausted and to be honest he wasn't sure if he could pull through this. He couldn't be sure what he'd see, what he would hear nor how badly it would hurt both of them.

But he had to do this, he would force himself if it came to it because... because he was Josh's anchor.

"Hey, Josh, look at me." The blond begged, fingers clenching on the torn fabric of his jeans. "We're going to be alright, okay? Just a little longer and we can go back home, go back where we belong. Just stay with me a little longer."

Looking towards Chris, Josh managed to offer the young man a weak smile and a nod, his green eyes filled with a tint of fear but also a great deal of hope. "I'll always be here. I won't leave you. I'm yours." He answered automatically, words holding a confidence in them that honestly Josh wasn't entirely feeling. Tilting his head away from Chris he nodded towards the woman to show that he was ready before turning his gaze towards Chris once more.

Soon it would be over.

Soon he would be human again.

Soon could not come quick enough as the ceremony began. At first it had been only a budding discomfort, the beast inside growing uneasy and lashing out at him from the inside, yet as time went on and the beast was pulled more towards the surface the pain actually began. Each chanted word and wave of the staff above his head had Josh crying out in agonizing pain as the creature inside of him ripped at his spirit, clinging to him as it tried to burst through the surface and take control. 

And as the first screams tore the air, Chris had had to force himself to stay still and not leap on the brunette. Josh was in so much pain, so much agony and seeing him like this cut deeper than anything had before.

Chris' words were lost under the shouts and snarls, yet the blond pushed on, never moving his gaze from his friend. "It'll be over soon, it'll be over, just a while longer." He repeated over and over again, tears streaming down his face as his heart screamed out for him to go console Josh. His body writhed as the beast took control, snarling out as saliva dribbled from his chin and his eyes shot angrily about the room, hands tugging at the bindings but unable to pull free of them. Teeth gnashed at the air, and it was only when his gaze landed back on the terrified blond that he was able to return to himself, only for the process to repeat itself several times for nearly three hours.

Between the beast taking over and the agonizing pain, the only constant was the face of his human... his best friend... his... love? He loved Chris. He had loved Chris. The him of the past had loved the boy sitting before him with all of his heart. Which is why the Josh now would suffer to see to it that the Josh from the past was returned. 

A scream filled the air as the beast's claws finally lost their grip upon his soul, the spirit erupting from his with an ear piercing wail, flying around the room only to escape off into the mountains. Physically and emotionally exhausted, Josh awoke from his possession just in time to catch sight of Chris' face before he lost consciousness, body slumping limply as the staff above his head came to rest at the woman's side.

"...It is done."

The moment his friend slumped down unconscious, Chris darted over to his side, hands hoovering above Josh until he received the nod from the shaman as a sign it was okay to touch him. Shaky fingers brushed through Josh's hairs, removing the bindings around his wrist before he released a noise between a laugh and a sob.

"You're here, it's alright, it'll be alright now." 

His grip never released from Josh' his body curling around the brunette's own as a shield before the darkness finally claimed the young man and pulled him under.


	9. Chapter 9

The first thing that Josh realized as he began to wake up was that the room he was sleeping in was not bitter cold. Yes, there was a chill there, but there was warmth that kept most of it away. Two sources of warmth actually. The first came from the crackling fire that from the sound was situated roughly five feet away from him. The second was much closer and certainly human. 

That meant somebody had found him.

He was out of the mines.

Green eyes snapped open, only to find his face buried into the collar of several jackets. Too many jackets. Chris's jackets. Pulling back slowly so as to not awaken the sleeping man, a small cry escaped his lips as he laid eyes upon a face he thought he would never see again, fingers coming to caress a pale cheek only to recoil them in shock at the sight of his nails.

He had claws. 

Why the fuck did he have claws?! 

What had happened in the mines?!

Closing his eyes, he tried his best to recall anything he could, only to find that there was a sudden empty spot between here and his latest memory. He could recall being the mines for several days, wandering around hopelessly as people passed overhead, a growing hunger and hopelessness filling him after the first night. Hannah had not come back for him after she left. Neither had Mike or Sam. He had been all alone and while at first he thought that someone would come, as the days went on and the visions his sisters became his only company in those dark tunnels he realized that there would be no rescue. 

Something else had been gnawing at his brain. Something that he succumbed to and it was then that he started to black out. Yet the more he dwelled on that empty space the more certain parts began to push through. Chris being there beside him and the way the other had brought comfort and a feeling of 'home'. The need to protect him. The word 'gine'. 

None of it made sense, but he was sure that when Chris woke up he would be willing to answer his questions. He had come to save him after all. Surely that meant that Chris would help him understand why he suddenly had claws and the idea of meat repulsed him to the point where he wanted to gag. 

Slowly, careful of the claws, he returned his hand to gently stroke the younger man's cheek, unable to help the weak chuckle that fell from his lips. "I keep telling you to take those glasses off before you go to bed, Cochise."

The lingering touch rose Chris from his slumber, eyelids heavy as he forced them open to see what exaactly had been touching him so gently. Yet he was not prepared to the sight presented for him, for green eyes to peer back at him without the veil of darkness, with lips curling in that trade mark smile he had missed seeing on Josh's face. 

Sitting up quickly, the younger man could only gape at his friend, words failing him. Instead he reached out, touching Josh's face ever so lightly, as if fearing that what he was seeing was fake. 

"Josh?" The name came out as a weak whisper, blue eyes dragging over the man in front of him, lower lip quivering ever so slightly. "Did it work, are you--?"

"...did what work, exactly?" Green eyes took in the room they were currently sitting in, feeling a strange sense of Deja Vu that left him shivering uncomfortably as his eyes darted over the Native America items mixed in with... photographs of him? "Chris, what's going on? Where are we? Why am I suddenly channeling Edward Scissorhands?!" The question grew more panicked as he asked them, his eyes turning down to the clawed fingers. 

Okay, so they weren't as extreme as Edward Scissorhands. In fact, aside from being just slightly longer and thinner in size his actual hands hadn't really changed. The sharp, thick nails at the end however certainly were new, as were the rather thick callouses. Callouses that would have taken months in order to form he slowly realized, color draining from his face. "C-chris... how long... how long has it been since that night at the Lodge?" 

His panic only grew as he remembered the danger on the mountain, his eyes going wide and face now even paler as his hands shot out to grip his friends shoulder, only to pull them away as he realized how strong his grip had become. "The others! Sam and Mike... did they get to the lodge?! And Jess?! Please tell me they found her! Tell me everyone is alright!"

"Josh!" The blond grabbed a hold of the other, forcing him to stay still for a moment. "Just breathe, just breathe." He repeated couple of times, fingers brushing through Josh's hair as he tried to come up with an explanation. The shaman had told them that Josh would most likely not remember the whole.... eating human part, which was something Chris was determined to keep a secret for as long as he could.

"It's been nearly three months from the lodge incident. Everyone are safe and back home, you don't have to worry about them." Chris started, lowering his hands from Josh's face.

"I don't.... I don't even know where to start the explanation though..." He admitted unsure, turning his gaze away from the older man. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"It... I don't know really. The last solid memory I have is..." Josh went silent, a sudden surge of self-consciousness welling in him. "...I was in the mines. I was cold and so insanely hungry I felt like I was dying. It must have been at least a week down there and I just remember coming to the realization that nobody would find me. Hannah... that THING, had dragged me too far into the mines and she... it... wasn't coming back. Then I found a room... with a body... and after that everything just kind of goes fuzzy for a while." 

Leaving out the fact that he had been hearing voices throughout the entire day telling him to give in to something that frankly he just couldn't remember, the brunette found his teeth softly nibbling at his lip, eyes staring thoughtfully at Chris. "Most of the stuff from then until now is kind of blocked out... but I remember you being there. With me. In the mines. I remember being angry at you but then confused. Just a jumble of really weird emotions that range a scale I... well I'm surprised I was even capable of some of them..." A bitter laugh spilled from his lips, arms wrapping around himself as he curled into a ball.

He thought he had lost the ability to feel joy and excitement when his sisters had died. That he had reached a plateau of his emotions and nothing else would be able to spill through. So why did he feel those things while trapped in the mines? Why had he and Chris been trapped in the mines to begin with? How had they survived three months without food?

Shaking his head he returned to answering the younger man's question, figuring his own would be answered soon enough. "There are a few other things too. Like some weird habit I keep having in my head that replaces mine with 'gine' and just... the idea of meat is making me feel ill. Like I am going to throw up ill."

"Oh my god you remember 'gine'." Chris blurted out shocked, the mere knowledge enough to have him giggling nearly immaturely. That was definitely not the reaction Josh had been expecting. The word 'gine' seemed to be greatly important both to Chris and his subconscious and as Chris burst into a fit of giggles Josh couldn't help but feel happy that he remembered it. Hell, if it was enough to pull that kind of reaction from Chris he would get it tattooed to his forehead. Or shoulder. 

"It's... it was an important word for us." Chris finally said, tilting his head back with an exhausted smile. "Eight days after you went missing, we received information that there's a possibility you were still alive in the mines. Naturally I packed my bag and came back up here as soon as I could. I walked around the mines for... I don't even know for how long. Ages. And I found you. Well... you found me." 

The blond closed his eyes briefly. "It was the curse of the mountain that had got you. The same that had got Hannah. It threatened to turn you into a monster. There was barely any humanity left and at first, you attacked me." Shaking his head, Chris turned to look at Josh again. "And just as suddenly, you released me again. You seemed to be conflicted and confused, and left me alone with a hissing noise soon after. After receiving the proof that you were truly there, I... I stayed. I've lived within the mines close to three months."

For a long moment it was impossible to tell what Josh was thinking, eyes downcast and face hidden by the shadows cast by the fire. 

Then his shoulders started shaking and his arms shot out to embrace the younger man, pulling Chris to him as he pressed his face into his best friends shoulder, sobbing fiercely into the top most jacket. He tried desperately to form words but in the end all he could do was utter the phrase 'thank you' over and over again, fingers clenching in both the younger man's hair and clothing. 

Chris' arms slid around Josh's body once again for comfort, just like they had done the past several week whenever the man had been distressed. He could not care about the tears or snot that dirtied his shirt, they were not the worst things that decorated the filthy fabric after all. 

He was happy to let the moment stay just like that-- Josh didn't need to know about the backlashes, about the struggles, about his lack of medication or his sickness. The Josh in front of him was happy, and that was all that mattered. If Josh should remember something later, then he'd tell him whatever he wanted to know.

After several long moments of crying, Josh finally found his lips curling into a smile, soft laughter escaping from parted lips as he nuzzled his head further into his friends shoulder. Words returned to him, breathless and filled with disbelief. "You're... you're incredible. Doing all that for me... I don't know how I'd ever be able to repay you. Chris... you have no idea... how much you staying there with me MEANS to me. You are such a gloriously dumb and wonderful asshole."

The blond chuckled amused, looking up at his friend with a fond smile. "How do you feel? I mean in general?"

"Honestly? I feel like I was hit by a truck and then was forced to sit through seven hours of food porn. Also I'm pretty sure I can bench press a bus. Not now, but once I've eaten something and taking like a jar full of Vicodin."

"We're not going anywhere yet then." Chris replied tilting his head back a bit. Josh was in no condition to move and honestly, neither was he. His legs felt like lead, and he doubted his legs could even carry his weight right now. Not to mention the still healing wounds would slow him down, and his mind was not in the right setting to take care of them right now.

Maybe it was not such a bad idea rest up there for a while longer-- the shaman seemed to be gone as well. Exhaustion washed over him, and the blond lowered himself back on the furs with a quiet noise. "We'll just... rest here then."

As wonderful as rest might have been, Josh knew that the moment he fell asleep his dreams would be plagued with nightmares, rendering any attempts at doing so pointless. Chris looked exhausted however and the older man certainly had no intention of pushing the blond to keep awake. With as much care as one with freakish strength and claws could, he gently moved to pluck the glasses from his best friends face, setting them down near the blonds head before moving those fingers back to softly stroke the other's hair.

It was a gesture he had done many times before, but instead of the long brown hair of Hannah or the short dark hair of Beth, it was the dark blond of his friend. "You catch some sleep. I'm... I'm okay. I need to think through some things." He reassured gently, gaze turned towards the door of their building, as if on the lookout for something that should not belong in this peaceful space. 

There was certain sense of calm that came from running his fingers through Chris' hair. The strands were thick with clumped dirt and very old hair gel, but underneath the grossness he could still feel the natural softness of the dark golden strands. The sound of the world outside and the crackling fire lulled him into a strange calm and without thinking his lips parted and softly he began to sing.

_"Amazing grace. How sweet the sound  
That saved a wretch like me,  
I once was lost, but now am found;  
Was blind, but now I see."_

The hymn seemed oddly fitting. The calmness of the tune and Josh's slightly cracked voice accompanied by the fire's crackling and the soft whistle of wind outside. 

_"’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,  
And grace my fears relieved;  
How precious did that grace appear  
The hour I first believed."_

How long has it been since he had last sung to anybody like this? At least a year and a half. Not since the night of prom, when he had sat with Hannah and softly comforted her over her failure to ask Mike for a dance despite all her valiant efforts to do so. She had called him a dork back then for singing the childhood lullaby he had created for the twins. 

How sad that he would never again hear the gentle sigh that came from the lips of his sisters after he had finished the simple tune, contented by the love that Josh had given them, even if it had been in a way that made them flustered over the mushy cheesiness.

_"Through many dangers, toils and snares,  
I have already come;  
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,  
And grace will lead me home."_

His voice cracked softly at the last line, gaze turning towards the blond as he watched the other's resting face. While the lyrics spoke of God, Josh couldn't help but replace them in his mind slightly with the younger male. His mother would have lectured him for the blasphemous thoughts. Still, God hadn't been the one to save him from the mine. Chris had.

_"The Lord has promised good to me,  
His Word my hope secures;  
He will my Shield and Portion be,  
As long as life endures."_

He debated skipping that verse, but decided to carry on with the full song lest he mess up the flow. Would the blond even realize what Josh was doing? Probably not. Why would he? It wasn't like the brunette was outright replacing the words with Chris' name or anything. 

_"Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,  
And mortal life shall cease,  
I shall possess, within the veil,  
A life of joy and peace."_

Pulling his gaze away from the blond and back towards the door, the sudden sense of irony that hit him over the fact he was singing a gospel hymn in what was obviously a Native American shaman's hut brought a small smile to his lips. He dreaded to think about how the most likely deceased owner of the building they were currently in would say if he heard about this. 

_"The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,  
The sun forbear to shine;  
But God, who called me here below,  
Will be forever gine..._ **Mine!** " 

Chris broke into a fit of sleepy laughter at the mistake, and the obvious embarrassment he could hear in Josh's voice as he tried to correct his mistake. The soft, warm moment had been shattered by the wrong word, but the blond didn't mind. No, if anything else the mistake made him smile wider than the real lyrics could have done. 

"It's the same thing." He said softly, voice thick with exhaustion as the younger boy fought to keep himself awake for just a bit longer. "It was one of the first words you spoke to me after several weeks. 'Chris gine'." The blond repeated allowing his eyes close as a fond smile spread on his lips. 

"Even if I taught you how to say the word properly, for some reason you stuck with 'gine'. It became our thing for some reason, and soon grew into something important." 

A yawn split Chris' lips, the younger man curling closer to Josh for warmth and comfort, nudging his head briefly against Josh's hand.

"You can rest your head in my lap, snugglebug." Shifting his thoughts away from the notion of having Chris as his own, the brunette instead opted to settle on playfully teasing the blond who obviously seemed to be in a rather snuggly mood. "I won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Not without you at least." Brushing a couple of strands of hair away from Chris' forehead and face, the older man gently nudged him with his knee.

"Well you better not." Chris snorted exhausted, shifting himself with what seemed like to be great effort over on Josh's lap. His body automatically curled around Josh's own as best as it could, fingers gripping a light hold of Josh's arm. The position was familiar to the blond; it was one of the positions the two of them used to sleep in both for warmth and comfort. 

Body relaxing at the comfort, blue eyes flickered shut once again before another yawn escaped his lips. "I did not spend three months in the mines just for you to escape behind my back." He joked tiredly, even if his grip tightened ever so slightly. 

"Yeah, no. I'd have to be the biggest asshole in the world to put you through anything else." A sudden surge of guilt welled in Josh's chest as he remembered the horrors he had put his friend through. And for what? Nothing. Chris hadn't even taken part in the prank that killed his sisters and Ashley sure as hell hadn't deserved that much abuse either even if she had. 

How ironic that the three people who had played the smallest roles in the events that had caused his madness suffered the most from his actions. "...I'm... sorry. About what I did to you at the lodge. I... I can't even begin to explain what I was thinking." Whispering softly, he closed his eyes to will back the tears, his lips cracking into a weak smile. "I'm glad you came back for me Chris. I... I really thought I lost you back in the shed."

Which had kind of been the point. Push Chris away from him and straight into the arms of Ashley so that when Josh's depression and hallucination induced madness finally became too much and he joined his sisters the other wouldn't miss him as much. Hatred was a great way of getting people to forget the good times you shared. 

Staring death in the face in the shed, with the knowledge that Chris wasn't his friend and didn't believe him when he claimed he hadn't killed Jess, well it had been a harsh wake up call to the fact he didn't want to end things like that. At that point it had seemed too late however, a point that had been solidified when Hannah had dragged him off into the mines after Mike valiant attempts to help him. Yet here they were. Chris had come back for him. The blond still wanted him as a part of his life. 

Josh wouldn't let him down a second time.

"I'll make things right by you, okay? I'll get back on my medication and see the doctor. If... if it really becomes necessary I'll even do the ECT. We can put this behind us and maybe one day we can even go back to something vaguely resembling normal." Finger's tightening slightly against his friend's shoulder, he let out a long sigh. "I won't make those weeks of hell you lived worthless. I promise."


	10. Chapter 10

The night passed relatively quickly. Or slowly. Frankly Josh had no idea what was going on in the outside world beyond what he could hear just outside of the thin wooden door of... what was this? A wigwam? Did it really matter at this point in time? No, it didn't. 

What did matter was that at some point the sound of footsteps drew Josh out of his own silent musings and immediately caused him to pull Chris closer in a simple, protective gesture. While they may have sounded human it had already been proved that this mountain had more to it than what one might initially believe and Josh had no intention of letting another monster get a shot at him or his best friend. Clawed finger tightened their hold on the blonde's shirt as the assumed person drew steadily closer, the other lifting from Chris' hair and being held up in a manner that hopefully would allow him the chance to swiftly attack if the thing proved to be aggressive. His mind concocted hundreds of different possibilities of what was slowly opened that door, most of which courtesy of the several seasons of Supernatural he had watched over his lifetime. 

An old woman carry two thermoses of soup certainly had not been any of them.

It hadn't taken long for him to understand who exactly she was and the two easily slid into conversation about what Josh's life would be like now that he was free of the mountains curse. From what she explained to him the claws, strength and speed were all remnants of what he had once been that he would have to live with for the rest of his life, but she had also said that with time he would grow used to it and perhaps even come to enjoy the additional abilities. As he sat there sipping at the offered soup she had provided him, the green eyed youth attempted to gather a bit more information about the curse that he had received. Namely in how exactly he had gotten it in the first place.

What followed was an eerie moment where she had watched him with a hard look upon her expression, her dark eyes hidden under the saggy skin of her face before slowly she spoke. "There are some things in the world that people are better off not knowing. This is one of them. I suggest that for your sake that you do not press for more answers. What you find is not something that will bring you comfort." 

That had been more than enough to stifle any desire for further clarification, Josh turning his attention back to his soup as the woman went on to explain that she would escort them back down the mountain in exchange for assistance in carrying back the things that were hanging upon the walls. Apparently, she came from a nearby town and while her son had helped her carry the things up she had not been able to get in contact with him and would like to get the delicate artifacts home as soon as possible. Josh had agreed without a second thought, figuring that it was the least he could do in exchange for her assistance in returning him to normal. The woman seemed pleased, even saying that by the time they had packed everything up and carried it down his friends would have arrived to pick him and Chris up.

Sam and Mike were coming to get them. They were literally driving all the way from the suburbs of Los Angeles to Blackwood Mountain in a single non-stop trip in Mike's mother's beaten up old Sudan. At least that was what the woman seemed to be implying. It was a fact that made Josh's heart swell with joy and affection, the fact that the two would be willing to go that far for him and Chris bringing small tears to his eyes that he hastily wiped away.

Just as he was finishing his soup Josh picked up on something not right about the way Chris was moving. Up until that point the blond had been sleeping relatively peacefully, but something had changed. His eyes flicked underneath his eyelids and every so often his mouth would move as he made a troubled expression yet no noises escaped from the younger man's lips. Chris twitched and shifted in a manner to suggest that he was struggling with something in his mind and just as Josh was about to gently shake him awake, Chris shot up in terrified fright, face burying into pale, shaking hands.

Concern flooded Josh's face, hand moving to gently rest on Chris' shoulder as the other man took in deep, terrified breaths. "Chris? Chris hey, it's okay. It was just a dream." Gently rubbing the other male's shoulder, Josh swallowed thickly as he looked towards the woman, who merely shrugged as if to say she had no idea what Chris had seen in his slumber.

Chris flinched slightly at the touch, even if Josh's words were something he desperately clung on to. Just a dream, just a nightmare. The real Josh was safe, he had helped him. The real Josh was healed, he would not disappear anymore. 

Despite the safety of the hut and the fact he had got Josh back, apparently it did not stop Chris' dreams from being filled with nightmares. 

It had started out simple enough, with him walking down an empty hallway, feeling as if something was following him yet every time he turned to look behind his shoulders, he saw no one. The hallway led him into what seemed to be an empty shed, yet tied into one of the poles there was Josh, his face bleeding and wrecked sobs leaving chapped lips. 

Before he could try to free his friend, another Josh rounded the corner-- this one smiling that carefree smile of his, his hand extended as if he was expecting Chris to take it. 

Torn between the two, Chris took a step back and finally reached out to try to help the tied up Josh out of the bindings, yet before he could do so there was a screech and something tackled him down on the hard ground. Above him, wendigo Josh screeched against his face, the foul smell of rotten flesh hitting him hard enough to have Chris gagging. 

"What are you doing over there, Cochise?" The smiling Josh asked obviously confused, wriggling his fingers a bit. "Come on, it's time to come home." 

"Chris, come on man-- it was just a joke, you know I'd never hurt Jess--" The tied up Josh cried, struggling against the ropes with a wild look in his eyes.

"Gine. Chris gine." The Wendigo Josh muttered darkly, clawed hands digging on his shoulders.

"Chris." 

"Don't leave me, please!" 

"I hurt." 

"I thought I could trust you." 

Chris' lips parted in response, yet no voice left the blond boy. It felt as if something was suffocating him, preventing him from speaking up and panic washed over the young man. Trembling hands pushed up against the wendigo, blue eyes darting from Josh to another and to his horror he noticed each one of them start to decay. 

Skin dropped on the ground with a wet noise. 

Blood dripped out from their noses and lips. 

Green eyes turned milky white. 

The noises that left their lips turned into a constant, echoing screech. 

"Save me."

As soon as their cold claws had dug into his skin, he had woken up.

"I'm fine." Chris croaked out shaking the nightmare out of his mind, wiping the tears from his eyes as quickly as he could before sniffling. "Just dreamed about you in a purple dress. Definitely not your color, man." The blond continued with a weak smile, shaking his head a bit as if he was getting rid of the last memories of the dream. It was not something he wished to talk about, and he didn't really wish to concern Josh either. He'd get over it, just like he did from every other nightmare. 

Focusing his attention on the lingering scent of herbs, the blond turned to look around confused before spotting the woman sitting in the hut with them. "Oh. I never had the chance to thank you for your help." Chris realized lowering his hands from his face, giving the woman a tiny smile.

Sitting back, Josh watched as the woman let out a small chuckle, her old, wrinkled fingers passing the other thermos of soup into Chris' hands. "Do not worry yourself over it boy. Your friend has already offered to help bring my things back down the mountain and that is thanks enough for me. Now I suggest you eat that and get started with the packing. It will be noon soon and the trip down the mountain takes at least two hours by foot." She seemed to pause, casting Josh a somewhat amused look. "Well, for most of us at least. I imagine for you it would take only ten or so minutes."

Josh let out a weak chuckle, unsure how to respond to a statement such as that even though a part of him believed it may very well be true. If he hadn't still been recovering from what felt like being struck by a truck he might have even tested that theory, but in the end he just offered Chris a small, apologetic smile. "That's alright with you, right? Sammy and Mike took his mom's old sports wagon and are driving up here to pick us up, so we still have a few hours to kill before they get here."

"Sam and Mike are coming?" Chris asked confused, lowering the thermos from his lips. They would not be pleased. From what he had gathered, Sam had been the one to contact the shaman in the first place, which meant she had known for quite a while about what he had done. 

Angry Sam was not something to make fun of. Demons run when a good man goes to war-- that quote fit Sam perfectly. Her anger was an inferno, and he feared it would be directed to his direction. 

"Yeah, yeah that's fine. Helping her is the least we could do." Chris agreed after a moment of silence. "...It'll be weird to see the others though."

Letting out a hum of agreement, Josh found his eyes shifting back down to his own clawed hands, the happiness at the knowledge that his friends were willing to travel several hundred miles for them taking a back seat the a sudden surge of anxiety over his appearance. Blood and dirt was so far ingrained into his skin that it might as well been tattooed there and his clothing fared no better. His face felt like it was normal but he had no idea if that actually was the case. Not to mention the claws. 

The old woman let out a small cough and Josh found his attention turning away from his thoughts and back towards her, his green eyes watching as she slowly lifted herself up from where she had taken a seat upon a wooden chair. "You two finish up that soup while I got gather the bags for my things. Oh, and don't go worrying too much about how your friends are going to react. Let's just say that relief and joy tends to override anger and fear when it comes to these kinds of reunions." Patting both of their shoulders the woman took her leave, opening the door to reveal that the sun was shining brightly outside.

Turning towards Chris, Josh seemed to linger for a long moment before finally pulling himself up and stretching out his aching muscles. "I'm glad they're coming to get us. Imagine the scare we'd give the local bus station if we arrived as we are now? It'll be like the start of some old fashioned B-List horror movie. 'The Two Youths From Blackwood's Mines!' Wooooooooo." Wiggling his clawed fingers, Josh offered Chris what he hoped was a calming smile before his eyes caught sight of something that shocked him.

"...aren't those my photos?" Frowning softly, Josh moved towards the photos that had been set up around the room, picking them up one by one with a small frown before his eyes finally found to photo books stored near the corner. Setting the photos down, something seemed very off about the book in his hand. For starters it smelled heavily of smoke, singed slightly and waterlogged. While the photos inside had thankfully suffered no damage the book itself seemed almost as if it had been caught in a fire. "...Chris... what happened to my photo books?"

"What happened to every other book in the lodge." Chris replied exhausted, twisting the cap of the thermos shut before placing it down on the floor. There was no gentle way of telling Josh what had happened. There was no joke to be thrown or card to be sent that would magically fix everything. Thanks to the Wendigos, Josh had lost his vacation home and memories of both his sisters and his friends. 

Luckily most of the pictures had been saved from the fire, but the loss would still be big. 

"The lodge, it... it exploded because of the Wendigos. There were more than just one, Josh. The Sanitorium, it held so many of those things and they got free. They surrounded us at the lodge, they nearly tore us apart. The only thing we could do was... create an explosion or die." The blond said quietly, lowering his gaze on the floor as if the whole ordeal was his fault. 

"If we didn't... they would have... and the risk of them killing anyone else who would come to the mountain.... god Josh, I'm so sorry."

The choked noise that spilled from Josh's lips at the news was heartbreaking, a hand moving to press against his lips in a mixture of shock and sorrow, tears starting to build at the corner of his eyes as he clenched them shut tightly. The photo book was pulled tightly against his chest as he trembled, trying to sort through the emotions that the news heralded in. Without even realizing it he pulled away, back facing Chris so that the blond wouldn't see the look of grief that flashed over his face.

So many childhood memories. So many irreplaceable things of his sisters that were now lost forever with no hopes of ever being recovered. The thought was almost too painful to bare, but as his finger ran over the corners of the photo book he found himself calming. Something had been recovered. Most of the photos of any importance were right here in these books. It still hurt to know that everything else was gone but the fact that the others were safe, the Wendigo were gone and his photos remained were enough to calm him from an outright hysterical outburst.

Slowly, he set the book down on top of its brother, his sleeve rising up to wipe the budding tears away before he turned towards Chris. Slowly he moved forward, hesitating for only a moment before wrapping his arms around his friend in what he hoped was a loose, comforting hug. "It's okay man. The important things made it out in one piece. Everything else was secondary and I'll get over it. What matters is that everyone is alive and my photos got through the fire."

"There were so many memories, Josh. So many." Chris whispered quietly, sinking in the embrace as if it was the only thing holding him together right now. The lodge had been like a second home to all of them. A place they could escape to when they needed a break from school, a place they could drink in, joke and play and grow around in. 

All the memories from the nights when they had sneaked out through the windows to watch the sun rise from behind the mountains to the mornings they woke up hungover and regretted every single decision made the day before. Chris had given his first kiss up at the lodge as well. Unsurprisingly, it happened during a truth or dare game with all four of them in some level of intoxication. The kiss had been a mere peck, that had been followed by ten minutes of laughter as both he and Beth agreed it felt like kissing your own sibling. 

All those memories were gone, blown away with the the lodge. 

"I know it's stupid, I know that some memories are the type we won't forget even if we can't hold the physical memento of the past but..." The blond shook his head slowly, his expression one of pure defeat. "...What do we do when we get back to the town? I spent months in the mines, Josh. I spent months centering all my thoughts on you and your survival, and now that it's over I... I don't want to think about the past. I don't want to think about the future. I'm not sure I can handle going back, Josh." 

"We don't have to then. We can go back to my parents mansion and we can build a fort out of blankets just like we used to do as kids. We can stay there together for as long as it takes for the both of us to feel comfortable again." Gently running his fingers through Chris' hair, Josh pulled away just enough for the younger man to see him offer a weak smile. "I promise Chris. I... you looked out for me in the mines all that time. So this time, I'll look out for you."

"No, no it--" Chris shook his head a bit more distressed now, trying to struggle out of Josh's grip. "You have to focus on yourself so that you can get better. I'll be fine, I'll always be fine." 

Pulling back just enough that he could watch Chris' face, Josh quickly realized that despite the protests of the younger man Chris was as far from fine as humanly possible. His heart sunk in his chest as he took in certain changes in the blond that he hadn't picked up before, such as an increased amount of anxiety and a very unhealthy mindset. This was not the Chris he had seen at the shed, but someone who was suffering very much in the same way that Josh had been after the death of his sisters.

Chris was not mentally well.

Chris was very, very sick.

Josh had no idea how to handle this. He hadn't even known how to handle when he was the one suffering through it so how was he going to help Chris? 

"Chris... man... I'm sorry but I can't do that. I can't just accept that you're fine when you aren't. I know how it feels to be alone with your own feelings beating down on you and I won't let you go through that." Without thinking he buried his face into Chris' shoulder once more, taking deep breaths as he tried to think of some kind of solution.

"Can't we just... look after each other? It's what we did in the mines right? Is it impossible to think we can just... change it a little bit?" Clawed fingers softly ran through his friends hair once more, holding him close, as if fearing that the younger man would shatter if he let him go. "I need you Chris. I do. But you need me too right now, even if you don't want to admit it. So please don't make my mistake and not reach out when you have help being offered to you. Don't pretend to be fine."

"I don't... I can't..." 

Frustrated, the younger man started squirming again, fingers clenching tighter against Josh's shirt. "I can't Josh, I can't. I don't know how. All I know is how to look after or care that you're alright, it's all _I_ care about. That you're okay. That's what matters, everything else be damned."

This was the last thing that Josh wanted and now he had no idea what to do. If he pushed Chris away and told him that he needed to look after himself then Chris would take it to mean that everything he had done up until that point was useless. Yet if Josh gave in and let Chris continue doing what he was doing then the blond would never get better. 

He loved Chris. He had ever since he was in sixth grade. Seeing him like this destroyed Josh in ways that his own mental illness never could and he couldn't help the soft cry that was pulled from his lips, frustration mixing with sorrow. Once more he was failing a person he cared about, unable to help them and feeling helpless and frustrated over his own failures. 

"Don't... don't do this Chris. Please... you're stronger than this. I know you are." Whispering the words softly against the younger man's shoulder, he clung tighter onto the blond, fingers actually tearing small holes into the fabric of Chris' jacket. "Just say that you'll move in with me. That we can build the fort and help each other get better. Damn it, Chris! Don't you see I need you to be well?!" 

Emotions welled within Josh's chest as he finally let out the feelings he was holding onto. "I get that you can't be selfless right now. I get that you can't think about yourself when you spent so many months caring for me, but don't you get that it wasn't just you?! I don't... I don't remember much about what happened... but I remember that word. I remember 'Chris gine' and what that entailed. I remember how important... important it was to see you safe and alive and happy and healthy." Letting out a small sob, Josh pulled away to look the blond dead in the eye, clawed hands cupping the other's face with a shocking amount of tenderness. 

"Because Chris was gine and I was yours. And that meant everything."

Releasing a choked sob, Chris leaned in the gentle touch, nuzzling his nose against Josh's palm. "I'm so tired." The blond whispered weakly, eyelids closing upon blue eyes as he exhaled shakily. "So, so tired."

Gently, Josh's fingers brushed over pale cheeks, collecting tears and brushing them away. "I know." He answered simply, voice filled with understanding as he pulled Chris in, swapping his palm for his shoulder as he rocked them both from side to side. What else was there to say? Josh spent what felt like an eternity searching for the right words but they just wouldn't come to him. Instead, he let out a tired sigh of his own as he buried his face into dark blond hair. 

For several long minutes he stood there, slowly rocking them in a soothing motion that Chris used to do with him when they were younger and Josh was more open about his down days. When there had still been hope in him that they would find the right combination of medication to make it all better. Before Josh started believing that life was becoming monotone and cold. Before his sisters died and what little hope he had slipped through his fingers like sand. 

"Carry on my wayward son... There'll be peace when you are done... Lay your weary head to rest... Don't you cry no more..." The song spilled from his lips without Josh even realizing what he was doing, the lyrics neither sung to their proper tune or said as regular words, instead coming out as a strange mixture of both, calming and full of raw emotion that had the brunette's voice cracking as he slow recited the lyrics as they rocked together.

Chris broke down. 

Months of fear, pain and agony was released in broken cries against Josh's chest, the blond's entire body spasming with each shaky breath he sucked in between the noises. He felt weakened in ways he had never been before, as if his whole being was shattered and there was no way for him to feel happiness nor joy anymore. 

As if all he knew was the pain he had gone through for the past months. 

The rough voice of his friend wrapped around him like a safety blanket he could be weak in, fingers clutching Josh's shirt with surprising strength considering the shape he was in. He wished to join that song, he knew the lyrics by heart but every time he opened his mouth, another strangled sob left his lips instead and he had to duck his head down crying.

His eyes stung from dirt and tears leaving them aching, body swaying slightly before he all but collapsed against Josh, trusting his friend to be able to hold his weight. With his new strength, it should not be an issue. Yet Chris wasn't sure if he himself was strong enough to stand up by himself, or get down the mountain by himself. The mere idea of having to walk for hours in the snow had him already drowning in desperation. 

He wasn't strong enough. 

The noise that spilled from the blond man's mouth tugged at Josh's heart in a way that made him clutch him closer, letting out a small sniffle as he let out a small hum into the younger man's hair. There really wasn't anyway he could explain why the urge to sing to Chris was so strong these past couple of days, though he humored it probably had something to do with his own inability to find the proper words to convey what he wanted to tell the blond. So with a soft hum, he began a new song once more as he lowered them to the ground.

_"Sometimes in our lives,_  
_we all have pain, we all have sorrow_.  
_But if we are wise,_  
_we know that there's always tomorrow."_

Sliding to the ground and pulling Chris so the blond was sitting on his lap, head against his shoulder and Josh's arms around his waist and shoulder, the clawed fingers of one hand running through the other's hair while the others softly rubbed the younger man's back and side. 

_"Lean on me when you're not strong,_  
_and I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on._  
_For it won't be long,_  
_'Til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on._

_Please, swallow your pride,_  
_if I have things you need to borrow._  
_For no one can fill those of your needs_  
_that you won't let show."_

Cupping Chris' face, he tilted it up to face him, offering the other a small, weak smile. The emotions that passed through Josh's green eyes were raw and real, fear, understanding, sympathy, sadness, guilt all mixed together in a way that made it difficult for him to keep his gaze locked onto that of his friend. Yet he pursued because he had too, for his own sake and for Chris. 

_"You just call on me, brother, when you need a hand._  
_We all need somebody to lean on._  
_I just might have a problem that you'll understand._  
_We all need somebody to lean on._

_Lean on me when you're not strong,_  
_and I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on._  
_For it won't be long,_  
_'Til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on._

_You just call on me, brother, when you need a hand._  
_We all need somebody to lean on._  
_I just might have a problem that you'll understand._  
_We all need somebody to lean on._

_If there is a load,_  
_you have to bear that you can't carry..._  
_I'm right up the road, I'll share your load,_  
_if you just call me..."_

Another pained noise was wrenched from dry lips when Josh continued singing, the words hitting so close to home it had Chris' chest tightening to the border of painful. He had never heard the song before, and it only made him feel like Josh was purposely saying the lyrics to him, voicing them out as if they were his own words that were trying to reach out for him. 

They could not pull through this alone, not without offering each other comfort and a pillar they could lean on. No one else in the town, in the world knew what they had gone through, what they had felt. They could pretend to understand, but they would never know. If the two of them weren't there for each other, then who would? 

"The fort..." Chris mumbled out weakly, his voice cracking as he buried his face against Josh's neck and inhaled shakily. "...Can we order pizza to the fort...?" 

The question brought a surge of laughter to the older man's mouth, heading nodding as tears slid their way down his cheeks despite the smile that now adorned his lips, relief flashing through his face. "Yeah... yeah we can. We can even build a whole fort out of pizza if you want!" Pressing his lips to Chris head, the brunette finally allowed himself to relax with the knowledge that he had conveyed his message to his friend, the tenseness of his body easing and his grip on his friend growing looser and more at ease. 

Chris would be okay. 

They both would. 


End file.
